170 Bangladeshis return home from Libya

170 irregular Bangladeshis who wanted to repatriate from Libya were brought back today through the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment in cooperation with the Libyan government and the International Organization for Migration. They arrived in Dhaka on a chartered flight of Buraq Air this Tuesday (November 18) morning.
Most of the repatriated Bangladeshis are said to have entered Libya illegally by sea with the instigation and cooperation of human traffickers with the aim of going to Europe. Many of them are alleged to have been abducted and tortured in Libya at different times.
They were welcomed at the airport by officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including the relevant ministries and the International Organization for Migration. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested them to share their painful experiences with everyone to raise public awareness. The International Organization for Migration provided each of them with travel expenses, some food items and first aid.
Previously, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) had been working together to safely repatriate Bangladeshis detained in various detention centers in Libya.