A year has passed since the murder of Mohib Ullah, an internationally recognized representative of the displaced Rohingya community. On this day in 2021, a group of unidentified gunmen killed Mohib Ullah at a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar.
Since his murder, the number of crimes including kidnapping, drug peddling, illegal trading of counterfeit money, robbery, and gold smuggling, has been on the rise.
On September 30, his younger brother Habibullah filed the murder case with the Ukhiya police station against unidentified attackers.
Although 36 people have been found involved in the murder, the addresses of seven people could not be identified. As a result, police submitted a charge sheet accusing 29 people on June 13.
The trial began on September 12 in Cox's Bazar District and Sessions Judge Court. Currently, the court is hearing the testimonies of the witnesses.
Advocate Faridul Alam, public prosecutor (PP) of Cox's Bazar District and Sessions Judge's Court, said: "It has been a year since Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah was murdered. The case is proceeding rapidly in court right now.”
Who was Mohib Ullah?
Mohib Ullah, who was in his late 40s, was a teacher who later emerged as a key Rohingya leader and a spokesperson representing the Muslim ethnic group in international meetings. He was very popular in the Rohingya community due to his dedication to ensuring the rights of such vulnerable people.
“My brother used to step forward to solve any problems faced by the Rohingyas. He worked for a long time to ensure their rights. My brother was known as a leader of the Rohingyas not only here [Bangladesh], but also in the international arena,” said Md Habibullah.
File photo: Mohib Ullah, a teacher turned rights activist, was one of the most high-profile advocates for the Rohingyas. He was invited to the White House and to speak to the UN Human Rights Council | Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune Mohib Ullah was the founder and the chairman of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH), which has been facilitating the documentation of human rights abuses in Myanmar in 2016 and 2017.
Looking back at their work together, rights activist Noor Khan Liton said he and Mohib had been working in close association to ensure human rights.
Mohib Ullah lived in the Kutupalong refugee camp with his family. He left behind his wife Nasima, three daughters, and three sons.
Reason behind murder
Mohib Ullah’s family members blamed Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) for the murder, although Bangladesh does not recognize the organization’s presence in the country.
They said the organization was already threatening Mohib Ullah as he encouraged the Rohingyas to return to their country.
However, a part of the Rohingyas does not want to return home. Many in the camp also believe that there is "contact with the Myanmar government forces" with the armed group.
Mohib Ullah had mentioned that his life was in danger, Noor Khan Liton said, adding that some extremist groups, including ARSA, had threatened him to stop him from raising his voice against the group’s terrorist activities.
Family leaving camp for Canada
Following Mohib Ullah’s murder, his family members requested safety and security through immediate relocation to a third country as they had been receiving death threats.
Therefore, with the cooperation of the Bangladesh government, the Canadian government took the initiative to provide shelter to Mohib Ullah's family in Canada.
On March 31, Mohib Ullah’s wife Nasima Khatun, their nine children, and son-in-law left Bangladesh as "refugees" under the Government Assistance Program of Canada.
On September 26, 14 more members of Mohib Ullah's family left the camp for Canada.
Restless Rohingya camps
The Rohingya camps have been in turmoil since the murder of Mohib Ullah.
In particular, organized terrorist groups centered around Rohingya camps target camp leaders and volunteers.
Solar lamps are lit in the evening at the Balukhali Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar on November 16, 2018 ReutersAs a result, 16 leaders and volunteers have been reportedly victims of target killing in the camp in the last 4 months.
Law enforcers say there is a tendency among the Rohingyas to disobey the leadership. These targets are being killed so that the Rohingyas cannot organize and speak for their rights.
They said that the Rohingyas are hard to control even though hundreds from the community have been arrested and charged with numerous crimes in the past years.
What Police Say
Cox's Bazar Additional Superintendent of Police Md Rafiqul Islam said a total of 116 murders have taken place in the Rohingya camps from August 25, 2017 to September 23, 2022.
The Rohingya victims of these murders are camp-based management committee leaders (Majhi) and voluntary guards.
The police official said that the district police is cooperating with the APBn to control the law and order situation in the Rohingya camps.
What APBn say
A total of three battalions of Armed Police Battalion (APBn) are engaged in security of 32 camps of Ukhiya and Teknaf in Cox's Bazar.
According to them, a volunteer named Md Ershad, 22, was killed on September 22. A leader (Majhi) named Md Zafar, 35, was murdered on September 21. Another volunteer named Md Elias, 35, was killed on September 18.
What do locals think about Rohingyas
Helal Uddin, a member of Kutupalong UP in Ukhiya, said: "Recently, the locals are feeling unsafe due to the situation in the camp. Armed terrorists are killing the camp-based leaders (Majhi) and volunteers. If they cannot be controlled, crime rates will keep rising in the camp.”
File photo of a Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar Syed Zakir HossainCox's Bazar People's Forum General Secretary Farhad Iqbal said that Rohingyas do not naturally want to obey leaders. They do not want to accept that someone would become a leader and control them.
He said: “It is important to bring the people behind the killings under the law.”
Video message admitting responsibility for murders
In a Facebook video message that went viral on Wednesday, a Rohingya man confessed to killing four people, including three leaders (majhi) and a volunteer, in the Rohingya refugee camp in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar.
The young man named Md Hasim claimed he was a member of an Islamic organization called “Mahaj” and described how he killed the four with a weapon in hand.
He also claimed the organization had given weapons to 25 young men like him to establish an Islamic way of life in the camp.