Four Migrant Workers from West Nusa Tenggara Report Torture by Employer in Libya, Demanding $7,000 Ransom
Four Indonesian migrant workers (PMIs) from West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) have reported being tortured whilst working in Libya. Their allegations went viral through a video posted on TikTok account @radarkarawang, in which the PMIs can be heard crying and pleading for assistance to be sent home.
“Please help us, sir. We cannot work anymore. We are all ill. We have also been tortured by the agency,” said two of the four PMIs in the one minute thirty-one second video.
The PMIs claimed they were deceived by an agency in Libya. They had been promised deployment to Turkey but were instead brought to Libya. During their time in Libya, the workers said they received poor treatment from their employer.
“There are two of us from NTB here, sir. We are ill. We have been here for six months, sir. Please help us. We want to go home, sir,” said one of the workers in the video.
Their pleas became more desperate when it emerged that repatriation was hindered by a compensation demand. According to the PMIs, the Indonesian Embassy (KBRI) in Tripoli, Libya, was unable to bring them home because the agency was demanding compensation of $7,000 per person.
The spokesman for West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Government (Pemprov), Ahsanul Khalik, explained that according to an official report from KBRI Tripoli, there are currently four PMIs from NTB. They are from West Sumbawa, Sumbawa, and Dompu.
“The video in circulation was made when the PMIs were already under the protection of KBRI Tripoli. Their current condition is safe, healthy, and they are under the supervision and assistance of KBRI,” said Khalik.
KBRI Tripoli is conducting intensive negotiations with the agency and employer in Libya to recover the workers’ passports and travel documents.
“We are working on resolving administrative matters regarding residency permits and exit permits, as well as efforts to reduce or eliminate compensation demands,” said Khalik.
“The return of passports is a top priority as it is crucial for accelerating the repatriation process to Indonesia,” he explained.
Khalik considered the compensation demand of $7,000 per person as a condition for passport return to be unreasonably burdensome on the PMIs and their families. The government is currently pursuing negotiations through KBRI Tripoli using diplomatic approaches.
“According to the PMIs’ statements, they worked in the domestic sector and had not completed their two-year work contracts, having worked between two and eight months,” he said.
During their employment, Khalik stated, the PMIs reported experiencing physical and/or verbal violence, inhumane treatment, excessive work pressure, and document detention by their employer or agency. These conditions prompted the PMIs to flee and seek protection from KBRI Tripoli.
“The common pattern in cases of non-procedural PMIs in Libya involves challenges in repatriation, including passport detention, compensation demands due to unilateral contract termination, and issues with exit permits and immigration fines,” explained the Head of Communication, Information, and Statistics Service (Kominfotik) for NTB.
This case, he continued, serves as an important reminder that Libya is a high-risk country for PMIs in the domestic sector, particularly those who depart through non-procedural channels. Unofficial placement practices are highly vulnerable to fraud, exploitation, and legal problems in the destination country.
As a result, Pemprov NTB is promoting strengthened education, supervision, and awareness campaigns for prospective PMIs from the village to district level, to ensure that people are not easily enticed by promises of overseas employment without following proper procedures.
“The West Nusa Tenggara Provincial Government will continue to monitor developments in this case and coordinate with ministries and Indonesian representatives abroad. Further information will be provided regularly in accordance with official reports from KBRI Tripoli,” concluded Khalik.