9,370 expatriates are currently in foreign prisons: Hasan Mahmud

Foreign Minister Mohammed Hasan Mahmud informed parliament today that a total of 9,370 Bangladeshi expatriates are currently held in prisons across 26 countries.

Responding to a question from Independent MP Mohammad Huchamuddin Chowdhury of Sylhet-5, the minister disclosed that the highest number, 5,746 Bangladeshis, are detained in Saudi Arabia, followed by 508 in Turkey.

Additionally, Bangladeshis are detained in Portugal (1), Algeria (1), Japan (2), Sri Lanka (3), Thailand (4), South Korea (6), Egypt (6), China (Kunming 7), Libya (9), Italy (81), South Africa (385), Qatar (415), Spain (19), Hong Kong (122), Singapore (66), Brunei (16), China (Beijing 184), Abu Dhabi (404), Indonesia (49), Malaysia (219), Lebanon (28), Greece (414), Iraq (217), Myanmar (358), and Jordan (100).

Between July 2023 and February 2024, 1,226 people were repatriated from Libya, while 51 were repatriated from France and other European countries. Additionally, approximately 1,950 Bangladeshis were brought back from prisons in India, Myanmar, and various Middle Eastern countries, he said.

In a scripted answer, Hasan Mahmud stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Expatriates Welfare, Bangladeshi embassies abroad, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) are instrumental in facilitating the release of detained Bangladeshi expatriates. Furthermore, liaison is maintained with relevant police stations and Public Prosecution Offices to ensure swift and fair investigations into complaints against detained workers.

The government also engages in communication and lobbying at the highest levels of concerned countries for special and general amnesty for laborers or expatriate workers held in prisons.