Trapped on Europe route, 170 Bangladeshis repatriated from Libya

Many of them reportedly faced abduction and torture during their stay in Libya, according to a statement

A group of 170 Bangladeshi nationals, who were stranded in Libya’s Benghazi after attempting to reach Europe by sea, have been repatriated.

The returnees touched down at Shahjalal International Airport aboard a chartered Buraq Air flight early on Tuesday, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The repatriation was executed through a joint initiative of the Bangladesh Embassy in Libya, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, with the assistance of the Libyan government and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a ministry statement said.

Most of the returnees had entered Libya illegally with the help of human traffickers, aiming to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe, it said.

Many of them reportedly faced abduction and torture during their stay in Libya, the statement said.

Officials from the foreign ministry, the expatriates' welfare ministry, and the IOM received the returnees at the airport.

The foreign ministry urged the repatriated individuals to share their harrowing experiences with others in their communities to help raise public awareness against illegal migration and human trafficking, it added.