Dear Friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Ko Ko Linn, a Rohingya community leader who was living in Bangladesh, has been picked up from a bus on 17 November 2017. Ko Ko Linn was travelling by bus from Cox’s Bazar to Chittagong in the evening of that day. The driver of the bus driver who witnessed the incident told that incident happened at Chandanaish of Chittagong. Some people stopped the bus on the highway. Two men got in, walked up to Mr. Linn’s seat and dragged him out of the bus. Since then the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) leader’s whereabouts remains unknown.
CASE NARRATIVE:
Bangladesh-based Rohingya refugee community leader Ko Ko Linn, who headed the Bangladesh chapter of London-based Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO), went missing on his way from Cox’s Bazar to Chittagong on November 14, 2017.
Mr Linn boarded a Chittagong-bound bus which left Cox’s Bazar at around 3.30 in the evening on Tuesday. But, he was missing when the bus reached Chittagong at around 8 pm.
Some sources reported that, according to the driver and conductor of the air-conditioned long distance bus, at around 6 pm around Chandanaish, some people stopped the bus on the highway. Two men got in, walked up to Mr Linn’s seat and dragged him out of the bus.
“The two men were not in police uniform, but they introduced themselves as men from DB or DIB,” the driver said, the sources reported.
Germany-based Mohamed Ibrahim, a European Rohingya Council leader, wrote in a Facebook post on November 17 that he guessed that Mr Linn, his elder brother, might have been kidnapped by “government or (other criminal) Kidnapper”.
On the Rohingya issue Mr Linn regularly spoke to the international media. He several times said to the international media that Myanmar authorities were systematically indulging in genocide targeting the Rohingya population. They want to make the country Rohingya free, he said to the media many times. Even in the Facebook Mr Linn, who is a known Rohingya political leader, routinely countered the views of the spokespersons of the Myanmar government with his posts and comments.
Several Rohingya community leaders has reported this week that Burmese media reported a few days ago that seven Rohingya men had been handed over to Myanmar authorities by Bangladesh one or two days after Mr Linn disappeared.
Myanmar’s spokespersons recently said that they had handed over a list of “Wanted Rohingyas” to Bangladesh. Bangladesh government was cooperating with Myanmar authorities very nicely, the spokesperson said.
In the past two years from Cox’s Bazar several Rohingya men were picked up by the Bangladeshi security agencies and most of them remain missing, several Rohingya community leaders complained. They fear that the missing Rohingyas were secretly handed over to Myanmar following request from the countries authorities.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the Bangladeshi authorities asking them to ensure the whereabouts of Mr. Ko Ko Linn. Kindly insist that the Bangladesh Government to identify the perpetrators who should face criminal prosecution.
The AHRC has already submitted a communication to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances calling for their intervention in this matter.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear ……………….,
BANGLADESH: Rohingya community leader Ko Ko Linn was abducted and his whereabouts remains unknown
Name of victim:
1. Mr. Ko Ko Linn, a refugee leader of the Rohingya community fled from Mynamar to Bangladesh
Alleged perpetrators: Unknown
Date of incident: 17 November 2017
Place of incident: Chandanaish of Chittagong district, Bangladesh
I am writing to express my serious concern regarding the incident that Bangladesh-based Rohingya refugee community leader Ko Ko Linn, who headed the Bangladesh chapter of London-based Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO), went missing on his way from Cox’s Bazar to Chittagong on November 14, 2017.
Mr Linn boarded a Chittagong-bound bus which left Cox’s Bazar at around 3.30 in the evening on Tuesday. But, he was missing when the bus reached Chittagong at around 8 pm.
Some sources reported that, according to the driver and conductor of the air-conditioned long distance bus, at around 6 pm around Chandanaish, some people stopped the bus on the highway. Two men got in, walked up to Mr Linn’s seat and dragged him out of the bus.
“The two men were not in police uniform, but they introduced themselves as men from DB or DIB,” the driver said, the sources reported.
Germany-based Mohamed Ibrahim, a European Rohingya Council leader, wrote in a Facebook post on November 17 that he guessed that Mr Linn, his elder brother, might have been kidnapped by “government or (other criminal) Kidnapper”.
On the Rohingya issue Mr Linn regularly spoke to the international media. He several times said to the international media that Myanmar authorities were systematically indulging in genocide targeting the Rohingya population. They want to make the country Rohingya free, he said to the media many times. Even in the Facebook Mr Linn, who is a known Rohingya political leader, routinely countered the views of the spokespersons of the Myanmar government with his posts and comments.
Several Rohingya community leaders has reported this week that Burmese media reported a few days ago that seven Rohingya men had been handed over to Myanmar authorities by Bangladesh one or two days after Mr Linn disappeared.
Myanmar’s spokespersons recently said that they had handed over a list of “Wanted Rohingyas” to Bangladesh. Bangladesh government was cooperating with Myanmar authorities very nicely, the spokesperson said.
In the past two years from Cox’s Bazar several Rohingya men were picked up by the Bangladeshi security agencies and most of them remain missing, several Rohingya community leaders complained. They fear that the missing Rohingyas were secretly handed over to Myanmar following request from the countries authorities.
I request the international experts on human rights, to utilize the Special Procedures of the United Nations Human Rights Council, to urgently intervene in this matter.
Yours Sincerely,
……………….
PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Mr. Md. Abdul Hamid
President of People’s Republic of Bangladesh
President’s Office
Bangabhaban, Dhaka
BANGLADESH
Tel: +880 2 9568041-50
Fax: +88-02-9585502 (Secretary)
Email: president@bangabhaban.gov.bd
2. Mr. Md Abdul Wahhab Miah
Chief Justice of Bangladesh
Supreme Court of Bangladesh
Dhaka 1000
BANGLADESH
Fax: +880 2 956 5058 /+880 2 7161344
Tel: +880 2 956 2792
E-mail: chief@bdcom.com or supremec@bdcom.com
3. Chairperson
National Human Rights Commission
Gulfeshan Plaza (11th Floor)
8, Sohid Sangbadik Saleena Parvin Sorok
Mogbazar, Dhaka-1217
BANGLADESH
Tel: +880 2 9335513
Fax: +880 2 8333219
E-mail: nhrc.bd@gmail.com
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)
