KALADAN NEWS

Dated: Monday, April 04, 2005

A Dead Body of a Rohingya Kept Unburied over Week in Bangladesh Jail


Cox’s Bazar, April 4:
A dead body of Rohingya prisoner is kept unburied over week in front of Cox’s Bazar jail, Bangladesh, said Hasina, wife of dead prisoner.

The dead prisoner is identified as Nurul Islam, (28), son of Abul Fayaz, hailed from Maungni Para (village) of Maungdaw Township, Arakan state, Burma. He left Burma with his wife and 3 little daughters to escape from military crackdown sice two years ago and took refuge in Teknaf, border town of Bangladesh.

During his stay as undocumented refugee in makeshift camp, he used to work as a daily labor or occasionally Rikshaw puller for the survival of his family. Unfortunately, he was picked up by some local goons for his inability to pay money them and handed over to the Teknaf police station, alleging him illegal immigrant, 7 months ago.

Then police of Teknaf sent him to Cox’s Bazar prison with a case of illegal immigrant under Bangladesh Penal Code and serving prison without trial until his death. But his wife, together with 4 children including a new born child are staying in the Teknaf makeshift camp locally known as “Tal” as undocumented refugee.

Due to severe restriction movement for these unofficial refugees, Nurul’s wife, Hasina could not able to approach to the court to proceed his release, while Hasina, herself is facing various problems for their survival in their dustbin hut.

In this condition, Nurul Islam lost his life with a depth feeling for his little children and wife in the prison on Mach 26, 2005, and the dead body is still kept in front of Jail gate, said some prisoners, who came out from the jail on bail.

Now, we are in horrible condition, we cannot move from one place to another. We are forced to pay money to local goons for movement. We get no helps from any quarter for our safety survival. We need protection from/by any mean, said Dil Mohammed, a leader of makeshift camp.

Jail authority had carried out autopsy of dead body, as per the rule of prison death but it is being kept unburied and did not hand over to relatives, and is being kept in a coffin box at the gate of Cox’s Bazar central Jail.

“We know that Nurul Islam is in good health in the morning of March 26, 2005, but we don’t know the reason about his sudden death in the afternoon, it is mysterious death. We believe that he die of cardiac failure”, said Mohammed Habibur Rahaman Mulla, a duty officer of Jail, from Cox’s Bazar.

“We report to the Ministry of Home Affairs and other concerned authorities to get permission either to burry or to hand over his relatives. We are also facing problems for this dead body, as it is a Rohingya, a foreigner. We also report to UNHCR, Deputy Commissioner (DC) and concerned authorities in Cox’s Bazar but no response, we get yet. So, we are waiting to get permission from the concerned ministry to solve the problem”, he further said.

According to Hasina, wife of the dead prisoner, “We are stateless; we are neither the citizen of Burma nor Bangladesh. We are oppressed in both countries not only on alive but also after death. My husband is dead in jail but still unburied”. # #

For further information, please contact at:

Mobile: +880-11227 138

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: www.kaladanpress.org