Dhaka: Another 174 Bangladeshi nationals who had expressed willingness to return home voluntarily from Libya were repatriated to Bangladesh on the early morning of May 7. They arrived in Dhaka at around 5:00 am on a Buraq Air flight.

The repatriation was carried out with the cooperation of the Libyan government and the International Organization for Migration through coordinated efforts by the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment.

According to a press release, most of the returnees had entered Libya illegally after being lured by human traffickers with promises of travelling to Europe by sea. Many of them reportedly became victims of abduction and torture during their stay in Libya.

Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, other relevant ministries, and the International Organization for Migration received the returnees at the airport. The foreign ministry urged the repatriated migrants to share their painful experiences publicly to help raise awareness and discourage irregular migration.

The International Organization for Migration provided each returnee with transportation assistance, food items, primary medical care, and temporary accommodation where necessary.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it, along with the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, and the International Organization for Migration, will continue working together to ensure the safe return of Bangladeshi nationals detained in various detention centers in Libya.