U Kyi San, an administration officer, forced Rohingya elders and the management committee of mosques in the townships to sign the order that outlawed their right to worship on March 15, according to a village administration officer that attended the Maungdaw administration office monthly meeting.

Mosques committees from 30 villages were forced to comply with the order that stated they are forbidden from opening the mosques for prayer. Most of the villages administration officers are Rakhine, said a Muslim religious leader from the affected area.

Since sectarian violence broke out in Arakan state in June and October of last year, Rohingyas’ freedom to worship has been targeted by state authorities.

Earlier, state authorities imposed the ACT 144 law that dictated that many mosques in the state are to remain closed until further notice. The ones that were allowed to operate weren’t allowed to have more than 4 people at one time take part in the daily prayers. Many Muslim schools were also closed.