New testimony exposes Election Commission and Bangladesh authorities blocking Rohingya refugees’ movement ahead of national elections
(DHAKA, February 11, 2026) — The incoming government in Bangladesh must ensure the right to freedom of movement for Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh in the mainland refugee camps and on Bhasan Char the isolated island in the Bay of Bengal, said Fortify Rights today.
In January 2026, an official from the Bangladesh Election Commission, Abul Fazal Mohammad Sanaullah, reportedly ordered the Rohingya refugee camps in southern Bangladesh to be “sealed” before and after the February 12 national elections. Since then, security forces have prevented many Rohingya refugees from leaving the camps—even for medical reasons.
“Freedom of movement is a fundamental right for a human being and Rohingya should not be deprived just because they are refugees,” said Zaw Win, Senior Human Rights Specialist at Fortify Rights. “Using the national parliamentary election as an excuse is not a valid reason to severely restrict the freedom of movement for Rohingya refugees, particularly those in need of medical care.”
In the lead-up to the national elections and the February 12 referendum, the interim government announced that Rohingya refugees are not allowed to leave the camps. In response to the new announcement, refugees say security forces have tightened movement restrictions in Cox’s Bazar District.
In February 2026, Fortify Rights interviewed six Rohingya refugees who said security forces in Cox’s Bazar restricted their movement by refusing them from passing security checkpoints, even when they presented valid medical documents. Separately, in January, Fortify Rights also reported on the mass arbitrary detention of Rohingya refugees on Bhasan Char, an isolated island in the Bay of Bengal.
A 24-year-old Rohingya mother of three told Fortify Rights that Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) stopped her at a checkpoint and forced her to undergo a medical scan because they suspected she was carrying yaba tablets—a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine—in her abdomen.
She said that on January 31, 2026, around 2:30 p.m., she and her husband were traveling to Cox’s Bazar when BGB detained them, conducted a body search, and took her to a nearby health facility for an abdominal scan. Four Rohingya, two men and two women, were similarly examined with abdominal scans. Afterward, border guard officials returned them to the checkpoint and refused them passage, saying Rohingya were not allowed to leave the camp during the election period. Despite showing her medical booklet and prescription from the hospital, she and the others were sent back to the camp. She explained:
The BGB told us that Rohingya people were not allowed to leave the camp during the election period without permission. They said “Who gave you the permission to go?” I showed them my medical prescription and medical booklet given by the [withheld] hospital in the camp. All the Rohingya were sent back.
“I was very disappointed because I was unable to go for treatment [in Cox’s Bazar city]. I suffered from stomachache, and waist pain. I consulted doctors in Kutupalong, and they said that a stone was found in my kidney,” she said.
In cases documented by Fortify Rights, security forces including the armydo not allow Rohingya to pass checkpoints despite showing medical documents. For example, a Rohingya man, 25, told Fortify Rights how he was refused permission to travel to Cox’s Bazar town where he wanted to purchase medicine for his paralyzed uncle, saying:
I arrived in Ukhiya. At that time, police and army personnel stopped and checked me at a checkpoint. They identified me to be Rohingya. I told them that I was traveling to buy medicine for my uncle, who is paralyzed. I told them the medicine is not available in the camp, so I am going to Cox’s Bazar. I said I am going to buy the medicine for my uncle, and I will soon come back. I requested them humbly, but I was not allowed to pass through the checkpoint. They said “You are a Rohingya. You should be ashamed; you are moving here and there. Did you come here to enjoy a comfortable life?
He continued to tell Fortify Rights that the security forces told him:
“Don’t you know that the national election is currently ongoing, and who gave you permission to leave the camp without permission?” I explained to them the situation of my uncle. … I showed them the medical prescription of my uncle but still they did not allow me to move go.
Another Rohingya refugee 26, a father of two, told Fortify Rights that he was blocked from seeking medical care for his wife. After giving birth at a hospital in the camp, his wife suffered severe bleeding, headaches, and other complications. He said the camp hospital lacked the necessary medicines and adequate treatment.
On January 19, 2026, he requested permission from the camp authorities to take her to a hospital in Cox’s Bazar, but the request was denied. The following day, in the morning, he attempted to travel with his wife but was stopped at a checkpoint. “The police told me we must seek treatment inside the camp and that Rohingya were not allowed to leave the fenced area.”
In a video on file and reviewed by Fortify Rights, camp authorities announce the closure of the camps, saying, “No Rohingya shall leave the camps” and warning that anyone who violates the rules will face “strict punitive measures,” including the confiscation of registration and ration cards.
In January 2026, Fortify Rights released a report “Like Prisoners,” documenting how the government of Bangladesh confined Rohingya refugees on Bhasan Char and subjected them to severe restrictions on liberty amounting to de facto arbitrary detention, in violation of Bangladesh’s constitution and international law.
International human rights law protects refugees’ right to freedom of movement and authorizes governments to only impose regulations that are equally applicable to other non-citizens present within the country’s borders. Bangladesh is a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which applies “without discrimination” to refugees and protects the right to freedom of movement. The U.N. Human Rights Committee has recognized that the ICCPR should apply “without discrimination between citizens and aliens,” including refugees.
The confinement of refugees is discriminatory and infringes on Rohingya refugees’ right to freedom of movement in contravention of international law, said Fortify Rights. Bangladesh authorities should prevent excessive securitization of the camps.
“Being refugee is not a choice but an unavoidable factor and Rohingya refugee shall not be deprived of their right to freedom of movement based on their status,” said Zaw Win. “The incoming government of Bangladesh must protect Rohingya refugees as long as they are in Bangladesh and need to ensure their freedom of movement in Cox’s Bazar district.”