A senior humanitarian Rohingya was tortured to death in Maungdaw while in Police Custody

RB News

October 18, 2016

Maungdaw, Arakan - A respected senior humanitarian Rohingya man was tortured to death while in Maungdaw Police Custody. 

On the 18th of October, 2016, A Rohingya man was tortured to death by the police while he was being interrogated in Maungdaw Police Custody. He was moved for burial by a dozen policemen by a car and taken to the cemetery of Kanyin Tan (Myoma) East Mosque. His family was not notified of his death or burial at this time. 

The deceased man was named Karim Ullah, and he was a previously a humanitarian aid worker. Karim was 58 years old, and he was the son of Hashim (the late school teacher) from Reeda hamlet, Aung Sit Pyin Village tract, northern Maungdaw. 

On 14 of October, 2016, Karim was arrested by Military forces who were raiding his home. He was arrested with his three young sons including a son of his elder brother, U Shwe Thar, a retired school teacher. They were detained for a couple of days in Kyein Chaung Police Station and were later taken to Maungdaw Police Custody during the past weekend. 

On the 18th of October, 2016, he was tortured to death by the police while he was being interrogated and accused off being involved in terrorism. On 18th of October, 2016, in the early morning, Police from Maungdaw Custody telephoned Abdur Rahaman, the Village Administrator of Kanyin Tan (Myoma) and he informed some Rohingya men near of Kanyin Tan (Myoma) East Mosque to arrange a small funeral to bury the corpse in the cemetery. At 12 pm, a dozen policemen arrived by car with the dead body and five Rohingya men arranged the funeral and buried down the his body in the cemetery. The policemen left by their car when the funeral was over. “Police men recorded a video of how the five Rohingya men dug the hole and buried down the body in the cemetery and took the details of those men”, a Rohingya man from downtown Maungdaw told RB News. 

Karim Ullah was a respected senior humanitarian. He had served as an Area Supervisor in WFP Maungdaw Sub-office from 1995 to 2004 and was a Technician in FAO (Food Agriculture Organization) in their Maungdaw Office from 2007 to 2009. He was a Community Development Facilitator in UNHCR Maungdaw Office from 2009 to end of 2012. After the 2012-June violence, he was terminated as a Community Development Facilitator in UNHCR Maungdaw Office when their activity was suspended. Since the termination, he chose to live peacefully at his home with his family as he became old aged. 

“He was a peaceful and innocent humanitarian person. It is illogical to accuse him for the involvement in terror attack while he was an old-aged person who has saved many lives with his aiding hands. In his age would he participate in militant attack when he is not even able to continue his humanitarian profession?” a man from his village told RB News. 

“Targeting and killing after accusing wrong doing of such educated persons is an inhumane crime by the Myanmar Security Forces. Perhaps, it is a motivated crime against humanity of the entire Rohingya community” the man added. Many of the villagers from Kanyin Tan (Myoma) village are frantically confused and worrying very much about the strange actions of Myanmar Security Forces who they say have been burying dead bodies again and again in the Muslim cemetery. On the other hand, this leads many educated Rohingyas in the area to feel abysmally dreadful and traumatized in this time. Karim’s three sons are still detained in Maungdaw Police Custody.

Report contributed by MYARF.