170 more Bangladeshis return from Libya

170 Bangladeshis who were abducted and tortured in Libya have been brought back to the country. They arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a Buraq Air flight at 8:35am on Monday (May 25).

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Bangladeshis who returned home were welcomed at the airport by officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, other ministries concerned and the International Organization for Migration.

The ministry further said that they were brought back home in coordination with the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment. The Libyan government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) cooperated in this regard.

Sources said that most of the returnees had entered Libya illegally with the help of human traffickers. Later, they planned to go to Europe by sea from there. However, it is alleged that many were abducted and physically tortured while in Libya.

The source further said that IOM is providing travel expenses, food, first aid and temporary accommodation as per the need of each of them.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government, Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and International Organization for Migration are working jointly to safely repatriate Bangladeshis stuck in various detention centers in Libya.