170 stranded Bangladeshis returns from Libya

The returnees arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at 5:20 am today aboard a special flight operated by Buraq Air, said a foreign ministry’s press release here. 

The repatriated Bangladeshis had been detained at the Ganfuda Detention Centre in Benghazi and the Tajoura Detention Centre in Tripoli, it added. 

The repatriation was facilitated through the joint efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, the Libyan government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Officials said most of the returnees had entered Libya illegally after being lured by human traffickers with promises of reaching Europe through dangerous sea routes.

Many of them reportedly fell victim to kidnapping, torture and other forms of abuse during their stay in Libya.

Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, relevant government agencies and IOM received the returnees at the airport.

The Foreign Ministry urged the repatriated migrants to share their experiences with others to raise public awareness about the risks of irregular migration and human trafficking.

IOM provided each returnee with transportation assistance, food items, primary healthcare services and temporary accommodation support where necessary, reports BSS.

The release said that the foreign ministry along with the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment and IOM, will continue working to ensure the safe return of Bangladeshi nationals detained in various detention centres across Libya.