Key facts
- Amnesty International claims Italy's migrant detention hubs in Albania violate human rights obligations.
- The NGO reported 42 critical incidents, including self-harm and suicide attempts, at the Gjadër center.
- Amnesty cited concerns over cruel treatment during transfers and limited access to legal recourse for asylum seekers.
- The report suggests the selection process for transfers to Albania is not transparent and may be discriminatory.
- A Rome court previously ruled that migrants could not be detained offshore in Albania.
- The Italian government has reportedly restricted access for independent monitoring of the agreement.
Amnesty International has stated that Italy's migrant detention hubs in Albania are failing to uphold human rights obligations, urging the European Union to reconsider similar externalization policies. The human rights organization released a report detailing concerns about the treatment of individuals held in these centers, including instances of self-harm, suicide attempts, and violent protests.
The report highlights that the Gjadër center, established in 2024 and used since 2025 to house male asylum seekers awaiting deportation, recorded 42 critical incidents between April 11 and May 16, 2025. Amnesty also raised alarms about "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment" during transfers and stated that detention in Albania significantly undermines the right to seek asylum and justice due to limited access to lawyers and courts. The selection process for transfers is described as lacking transparency and potentially discriminatory.
Amnesty noted that the operations within these centers are largely obscured, with the Italian government reportedly hindering independent monitoring and parliamentary oversight. Despite these criticisms, the model is gaining traction within the EU, with new legislation permitting countries to send failed asylum-seekers to external processing hubs. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani has previously advocated for similar centers in African countries.
The deal has faced legal challenges, including a Rome court ruling in 2024 that deemed offshore detention unlawful for migrants from countries not considered safe. A non-binding opinion from an adviser to the Court of Justice of the EU suggested that such external processing is permissible under EU law, provided migrants' rights are fully protected.