repeatedly with the pipe. The child begged the sailor to stop, saying that he had not committed any crime. The child’s mother, Zhora, 29, said: Our children are not allowed to go outside the block where we are living. When a sailor found that the children had gone to another block, he came out of his outpost and started beating the children mercilessly. My son could not run away while the others managed to escape. I begged the sailor not to beat him, but he continued for another two or three minutes. What if my child had died? 168 Zhora said that the sailor was in uniform when he beat the children. “They beat children just for playing,” Zhora said. “Just because we don’t have any country, they could do that to us.” 169 On May 31, 2021, thousands of refugees gathered to try and meet with a delegation of UN officials that were visiting Bhasan Char and protest conditions, many saying that they do not want to remain on the island. Bangladesh authorities had earlier warned the Rohingya against complaining, some refugees told Human Rights Watch. There were clashes with security forces after the refugees disregarded those instructions, eyewitnesses said, and several Rohingya, including women and children, were injured. 170 168 Human Rights Watch interview with Zhora, Bhasan Char, Bangladesh, April 12, 2021. 169 Ibid. 170 Audio and video recordings sent to Human Rights Watch by an eyewitness on May 31, 2021; “Thousands of Rohingya protest against conditions on Bangladesh island,” CNA, May 31, 2021, https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/rohingya-protest-living-condition-bangladesh-island-bhashan-char14920030 (accessed May 31, 2021); “UNHCR concerned by Bhasan Char demo,” The Daily Star, June 1, 2021, https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/unhcr-concerned-bhasan-char-demo-2102693 (accessed June 1, 2021). “AN ISLAND JAIL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA” 50