Tue Feb 04 08:51:02 UTC 2025: ## 16 Indian Workers Return Home After 10 Months in Libyan “Prison-Like” Conditions
**Benghazi, Libya/New Delhi, India – February 4, 2025** – Sixteen Indian workers, trapped in what they described as “prison-like conditions” at a Libyan cement factory for the past ten months, are finally returning to India today. The workers, hailing primarily from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, had been held at the Benghazi plant of the Libyan Cement Company since September 2024 following a dispute over wages and working conditions.
Their ordeal began after a significant pay cut and a drastic increase in working hours, exceeding the contractual agreement by as much as double. When the workers protested, they allege they were physically assaulted by their Dubai-based contractor, Abu Bakkar, a Libyan national. Following the confrontation, the workers were effectively imprisoned, denied wages, and prevented from working.
The workers’ plight was highlighted in a report by The Hindu, which detailed their accounts of erratic pay, excessive work hours (sometimes extending past midnight), and the physical violence they endured. They had been aided by fellow South Asian workers at the plant who provided them with food and supplies.
The Indian government intervened, securing the workers’ release and arranging for their repatriation. Sources confirmed to The Hindu that arrangements for their return were finalized on Tuesday, February 4th. Their journey home marks the end of a harrowing chapter for the 16 workers who endured months of hardship in Libya.
First Piper 