A total of 176 Bangladeshi nationals, who had been subjected to detention, torture and abduction after entering Libya illegally, have been repatriated.
They arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on Thursday at around 9:45am on a flight operated by Buraq Air.
The repatriation was facilitated through the joint efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Bangladesh in Tripoli, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 172 of the returnees had been held at the Tajoura Detention Centre in Tripoli, while four were sheltered at an IOM safe house.
Most of the repatriated Bangladeshis had entered Libya through human traffickers, lured with the promise of reaching Europe by sea.
Many of them had been abducted and subjected to torture at different times during their stay in Libya.
Upon their return, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the returnees to raise awareness so that no one else attempts to undertake such perilous journeys to Libya in the future.
The IOM has provided each returnee with Tk6,000 in cash, food supplies, medical assistance, and temporary accommodation where necessary.
The Embassy of Bangladesh in Tripoli said that it continues to work closely with local authorities and the IOM to ensure the safe repatriation of Bangladeshi citizens detained at various detention centres across Libya.
