British migrant worker rights advocate Andy Hall has confirmed that he sought legal advice following what he described as defamatory reports published by several Bangladeshi news outlets regarding his recent visit to Bangladesh.

In a statement to the New Straits Times in Malaysia, Hall said he does not currently have legal representation in Bangladesh but had formally sought legal counsel over the publications. According to him, the disputed articles have since been removed from online platforms, and an official apology was issued following his objections.

Hall was previously accused by a Bangladeshi news outlet of threatening journalists and making racist remarks after media coverage of his visit. The allegations, however, were not independently verified.

Hall visited Bangladesh from July 2 to 4, where he met recruitment agencies, civil society organisations, trade unions, migrant worker groups and other stakeholders to discuss safe migration, ethical recruitment, workers’ rights and stronger protection for Bangladeshi migrants.

He said the primary objective of his visit was to engage with government officials, including Prime Minister’s senior adviser Mahdi Amin, to discuss reforms in migration governance and recruitment practices. However, Hall expressed disappointment with the government-level meetings after Mahdi Amin was unable to attend due to a last-minute scheduling conflict.

According to Hall, the discussions did not sufficiently address the key issues affecting migrant workers, including recruitment costs, accountability and policy reforms. He stressed that human rights and labour migration concerns require open, evidence-based and constructive dialogue.

Despite his dissatisfaction with the official meetings, Hall described his engagements with recruitment agencies, civil society representatives and migrant worker groups as positive and productive. He said the discussions reinforced his belief that meaningful reforms are possible, while noting that Bangladesh continues to face some of the world’s highest migrant recruitment costs.