Repatriation is the return of a thing or person to its or their country of origin, respectively. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as the return of military personnel to their place of origin following a war. It also applies to diplomatic envoys, international officials as well as expatriates and migrants in time of international crisis. For refugees, asylum seekers and illegal migrants, repatriation can mean either voluntary return or deportation.
Haitian migrants are escorted off the Coast Guard Cutter Tampa's fantail to an awaiting Haitian Coast Guard vessel during repatriation.
The crew of USS Pueblo as it arrives at the U.N. Advance Camp, Korean Demilitarized Zone, on 23 December 1968, following their release by the North Korean government
The U.S. government returns two 11th century stone lintels to Thailand, marking the end of a four-year effort on behalf of the Thailand to bring these items home.
Iroquois Wampum belt that belonged to Algonquin Mohawk Chief, currently housed within the Hall of the North American Indian exhibit at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University.
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Viet Cong soldiers carry an injured American POW, Captain David Earle Baker, from a hospital tent to a release point for a prisoner exchange. 27 June, 1972
Engraving of Nubian prisoners, Abu Simbel, Egypt, 13th century BC
Mongol riders with prisoners, 14th century
Aztec sacrifices, as depicted in the Codex Mendoza (c. 1541)
