170 Bangladeshis return from Libya

170 Bangladeshis who were stuck in Libya’s Benghazi detention center and willing to return voluntarily have been brought back to the country. They landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on a special flight of Buraq Air at 5 am today (May 19).
The repatriation program is being conducted by the joint initiative of the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and with the active cooperation of the Libyan government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
According to airport sources, most of the returning Bangladeshis had entered Libya at the instigation of traffickers after being caught by brokers with the intention of illegally going to Europe by sea. Many of them have alleged that they were abducted and subjected to horrific torture there at different times.
Senior officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and IOM welcomed the returning Bangladeshis at the airport. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has requested the victims to share their painful and bitter experiences with everyone in their respective areas to raise public awareness against illegal migration.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) provides travel expenses, food, first aid and temporary accommodation to every Bangladeshi returning home. They said the Bangladesh government and IOM are working together to safely repatriate other Bangladeshis still stuck in various detention centers in Libya.