29 Bangladeshis deported from three European countries

Twenty-nine Bangladeshis have been deported from three European countries on charges of living without valid documents. They arrived in Dhaka on a chartered flight from Italy, Greece, and Cyprus on Thursday (September 25) night.

Airport sources said that all the returnees had been staying irregularly in those countries for a long time. The authorities there detained them and sent them to Bangladesh after completing the legal process.

Most of the returnees complain that they spent huge amounts of money to go to Europe through brokers, but were unable to get legal work opportunities due to lack of documents. As a result, many have been detained or faced various problems.

Sources stated that Dhaka maintains regular contact with the relevant countries regarding Bangladeshis residing irregularly in Europe. As part of this, the process of sending them back is ongoing. Earlier, Bangladeshis have been sent back to the country from Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Austria several times.

The latest 29 people were repatriated through a joint return operation under the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) signed between Bangladesh and the European Union (EU) in 2017. Of the returnees, 14 were in Greece, while the rest were staying in Italy and Cyprus.

It is worth noting that although the SOP agreement was signed in 2017, its effective implementation began in 2021. That year, the EU announced the temporary suspension of some visa facilities for some countries, including Bangladesh.