Amnesty International urges Italy to end migrant detention deal with Albania
Amnesty International urged Italy on Thursday to end its migrant detention agreement with Albania, warning that the offshore arrangement jeopardizes the safety, liberty and human rights of asylum seekers and migrants.
In a briefing examining the 2023 agreement, the rights group said hundreds of people had been forcibly transferred to facilities in Albania, where limited access to lawyers and courts undermines their ability to seek asylum and obtain justice.
“Offshore detention is ultimately aimed at deterrence and trying to shift and evade both the responsibilities of responding to people migrating and the obligation to provide asylum to those who need it,” said Eve Geddie, director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office.
Italy transferred 74 people directly from international waters to Albania during three operations between October 2024 and January 2025, according to Amnesty.
The transfers stopped after Italian courts overturned detention orders. However, Rome amended the agreement in March 2025 to allow men facing expulsion orders and already detained in Italy to be transferred to Albania.
Since then, more than 500 predominantly racialized men have reportedly been sent to the Gjader detention center, the group said.
Amnesty documented 42 critical incidents at the facility between April 11 and May 16, 2025, including at least two attempted hangings, several self-harm cases and a protest in which three people were injured by shattered glass.
It also accused the Italian government of restricting independent monitoring and parliamentary oversight.
Although those held in Albania remain under Italian jurisdiction, their distance from Italy and limited access to lawyers, courts and other safeguards weaken their right to seek asylum and access justice, Amnesty said.
“It is abundantly clear that the Italy-Albania model is impossible to implement in line with Italy’s human rights obligations,” Geddie said.
Amnesty urged Italian authorities to terminate the deal, use alternatives to detention and ensure access to effective asylum procedures and dignified reception on Italian territory.
The five-year agreement took effect in February 2024. Italy has reportedly allocated more than €670 million ($783 million) for its operation through 2028.
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