Migrants, Italy: New Detention Centers in Albania Are a Blemish for the Government

ROMA – In view of the opening of two detention centres in Albania in August, intended to hold people rescued or intercepted at sea by Italian ships, the director of the office of the European institutions of Amnesty InternationalEve Geddie, underlines the dangerousness and illegality of the choices of the Italian government, which has decided to continue on the path of externalizing borders despite the criticisms and concerns raised by human rights organizations.

The note of Amnesty International: People in distress at sea will be subjected to long and unnecessary journeys under the new rules, in clear violation of the obligation, including that of Italy, to ensure the rapid disembarkation of survivors in a place of safety, as prescribed by international law. Once they reach land – the organization continues – people will face automatic, arbitrary and potentially prolonged detention in Albania. Under the terms of the Italy-Albania agreement, migrants remain under Italian jurisdiction, but there is a risk that their right to seek political asylum will be severely impaired. For Amnesty, these centers represent the latest attempt by a European Union country to evade its obligations under EU and international law, encouraging the practice of outsourcing and moving the processing of people’s protection requests outside its territory.

The context. On 6 November 2023, Rome signed an agreement with Tirana for the construction of two detention centres in Albania, which will be used to arbitrarily detain people rescued or intercepted at sea by Italian state ships. The agreement aims to legalize the automatic detention of asylum seekers and people to be forcibly repatriated, with the stated aim of discouraging sea crossings. International human rights bodies such as the Council of Europe and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights have also criticized the agreement in question, raising concerns about the respect and upholding of rights.