Ten Bangladeshis who were detained in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) during the July uprising last August have returned home.

A Saudi Airlines flight carrying them arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka early on Friday.

Following the fall Sheikh Hasina-led fascist Awami League government in the face of the student-led mass upsurge, Bangladeshis residing in Saudi Arabia held a celebration and organised a banquet. Saudi Arabian law enforcement agencies arrested 12 people at the gathering.

The Saudi government has now repatriated 10 of them, who spent 10 months in prison there. The remaining two are expected to return later due to complications with the necessary documents, including the expiration of their passports. The returning expatriates said they were freed from their precarious situation with the support of various parties, including the government. However, they are seeking financial assistance from the government, alleging a lack of communication from the Bangladesh Embassy in Saudi Arabia.

Md Yakub, an expatriate businessman who returned that day, said, “We are very grateful to the Bangladesh government. With its help, we were able to secure our release from prison after almost eight months.”

According to him, on 9 August last year, they organised an event to celebrate the ousting of the previous government and to urge everyone to maintain peace in Bangladesh.

“The Saudi Arabian government has stated that if any Bangladeshi nationals hold a procession or display banners or posters, they will be arrested and deported.