Sri Lanka: Rohingya Refugee Urges UN to Free 116 Detained
A Rohingya refugee has appealed to the United Nations for the release of 116 asylum seekers, including 57 children, who have remained detained in Sri Lanka for nearly 21 months after fleeing persecution and surviving a perilous sea journey from Burma.
By Abdullahi Yusuf
A Rohingya refugee living in Sri Lanka has appealed to the United Nations for the release of 116 Rohingya asylum seekers, including 57 children, who have remained in detention for nearly 21 months after reaching the island following a perilous journey from Burma.
Mohammad Anwar made the appeal at the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council on behalf of Pax Romana, according to Newswire.
He urged Sri Lanka to treat the group as refugees seeking protection rather than label them “illegal migrants,” and called for unhindered access to the UN refugee agency, lawyers, humanitarian organizations and journalists.
The group reached Sri Lankan waters in December 2024 after enduring starvation, illness and deaths during their journey.
Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission said their trawler drifted toward Mullivaikkal, on the northeastern coast, where local fishermen first provided food and water before the Sri Lankan Navy escorted the vessel to Trincomalee. Several people died during the voyage.
After reaching land, the asylum seekers were taken before a magistrate and subsequently detained at an Air Force camp in Mullaitivu.
Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission later raised concerns over their detention and said its officials were initially denied access when they attempted to inspect their conditions in December 2024.
Anwar argued that the persecution, displacement and dangers endured by the group demonstrated their need for refugee protection.
His intervention also highlighted an earlier, separate arrival in December 2022, when about 105 Rohingya were rescued after becoming stranded at sea near northern Sri Lanka.
Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic minority from Burma who have been rendered effectively stateless by the country’s citizenship system and subjected to decades of persecution.
Hundreds of thousands fled to neighboring Bangladesh following a brutal military crackdown in 2017, while Rohingya remaining in Burma continue to face violence and displacement.
Anwar called on Sri Lanka to guarantee Rohingya refugees access to housing, food, education, health care and opportunities to earn a livelihood, while addressing the longer-term uncertainty facing those who cannot safely return to Burma or secure resettlement in another country.
“We are Rohingya nationals, and we are a people without a country,” he told the Council.
He urged Sri Lankan authorities to consider granting citizenship or permanent residency to Rohingya and other refugees who cannot be resettled elsewhere.
Anwar also called for an end to alleged harassment, surveillance and restrictions against Sri Lankan human rights activists supporting Rohingya refugees, extending his appeal beyond detention to the broader question of whether one of the world’s most persecuted stateless communities can obtain lasting protection after escaping Burma.
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