Italy: New detention centres in Albania are a “stain on the Italian government

Ahead of the planned opening of two detention centres in Albania in August, intended to detain people rescued or intercepted at sea by Italian ships, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office Eve Geddie said:

“It’s shameful that despite all the criticism and concerns raised by human rights bodies, the Italian government has decided to go ahead with this agreement. Not only is the plan incredibly harmful, it is also unlawful.

“People in distress at sea will be subjected to long and unnecessary journeys, in patent violation of Italy’s obligation to ensure the swift disembarkation of rescued persons in a ‘place of safety’. On reaching dry land, they will face automatic, arbitrary and potentially prolonged detention in Albania. While under the terms of this agreement, people would remain under Italian jurisdiction, it is likely that their right to seek asylum and have their claims fairly assessed will be severely curtailed.

“These centres represent the latest attempt by an EU country to circumvent their obligations under EU and international law by ‘externalising’ or shifting the processing of people’s protection claims outside of their territory.

“The new EU leadership must firmly reject attempts to offshore the processing of asylum claims. These plans have had a disastrous impact on both human lives and the cost of asylum systems when they have been tried before.

“This cruel experiment is a stain on the Italian government. It will practically only affect racialized people on the move and it distracts and detracts from policies that could truly strengthen asylum systems, support people in need of safety, and benefit the communities that welcome them.”

Background

On 6 November 2023, the Italian government signed an agreement with Albania on the construction of two detention centres in Albania that will be used to arbitrarily detain people rescued or intercepted at sea by Italian state ships.

The agreement seeks to legalize the automatic detention of asylum seekers and of people to be forcibly repatriated, with the declared goal of deterring sea crossings.

Amnesty International previously released a detailed analysis on the human rights impacts of the Italy-Albania agreement, in both English and Italian.

In July 2024, Amnesty International documented violations of the right to freedom and dignity in detention centres in Italy. It is most unlikely that the same authorities would ensure respect for procedural guarantees and access to rights in Albania.

International human bodies such as the Council of Europe and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have also criticized the Italy-Albania Agreement.

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