ARTICLE 19 joined 49 other organisations in sending a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urging the Bangladesh government to take steps to protect the human rights of residents in Rohingya refugee camps during the coronavirus pandemic. The signatories urged Bangladesh to lift ongoing mobile internet restrictions and halt the construction of barbed wire fencing around the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar District. The letter expressed concerns for the safety and well-being of the refugees as well as Bangladesh host communities and aid workers, in light of the growing coronavirus pandemic. It emphasised that unrestricted access to information via mobile and internet communications is crucial for slowing the transmission of the disease and saving the lives of refugees, humanitarian workers, and the general population of Bangladesh.
Read the letter.