Egypt repatriated 23 laborers early Thursday from western Libya after accusations that forces allied to the Government of National Accord (GNA) had detained and abused them.
The 23 workers arrived at Marsa Matrouh, a Mediterranean resort town in northwest Egypt, a security source told AFP.
Earlier in the week, a video widely circulated on social media showing the laborers forced to stand on one leg with their bare feet on sand as they raised their hands.
The video immediately drew swift condemnation from senior Egyptian officials.
It "will not pass lightly and the Egyptian state does not allow assault on its citizens abroad," Immigration Minister Nabila Makram was quoted as saying in local media.
The GNA announced Wednesday the arrest of suspects in the abuse after the outcry.
Police had "apprehended the people involved" and were preparing to present them to the prosecutor, the GNA's interior ministry said in a statement.
Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari said that the workers were being held by a "militia" aligned with the GNA.
The United Nations on Tuesday urged authorities in Tripoli to conduct a prompt investigation.
