Rohingya Youth Dies in Bangladesh After Months of Torture in Arakan Army Detention

Arakan Now | 8 September 2025

A Rohingya youth, Arshat, died in Bangladesh on July 26, 2025, after suffering severe abuse and injuries while detained by the Arakan Army (AA) in northern Rakhine State. His family was with him at the time of his death.

Arshat’s story has been shared through his own voice messages, now compiled into a video, providing a rare and personal account of the abuse Rohingya civilians face in AA-controlled areas.

On May 17, 2024, Arshat was arrested in front of the Ward 5 WFP storehouse in Sein Nyein Pyar, while AA forces were forcing residents from their homes and burning houses. At the time, he was living as an internally displaced person (IDP) in a friend’s house.

“We were living in someone else’s house as IDPs. That day, everyone was forced to leave their homes. We were gathered on the other side of the SNP bridge and checked one by one. I was also checked, but since I had not joined the military, I was released,” a survivor recounted.

Later, Arshat was arrested again along with a 16-year-old boy, Taraq Jawmil. He had been asked to act as a translator for Arshat, who could not speak Rakhine, with a promise of immediate release. Instead, both were taken to Buthidaung prison.

Arshat was detained in harsh conditions, initially in a room with six other prisoners. Over the following months, arrests continued daily, and more than 1,200 Rohingya were reportedly detained in Buthidaung prison.

During detention, Arshat and others suffered severe malnutrition and abuse. The survivor described how AA members inflicted burns on Arshat’s legs using electric shocks. After almost eight months in prison, he was moved to Nyaung Chaung police station for one month, where he received treatment to appear healthier to officials. He was eventually released under strict instructions not to disclose what had happened.

On February 10, 2025, Arshat and his family arrived in Bangladesh seeking refuge. Despite enduring unimaginable pain, he did not disclose the full extent of his suffering. Later, his family noticed serious issues with his leg and rushed him to a hospital in Chittagong, where doctors found that his bones and flesh had been destroyed.

The untreated wounds developed into cancer, leading to his death on July 26, 2025. His family was by his side.