Amnesty International: Agreement to send migrants to Albania, illegal and unmet

The international human rights organisation Amnesty International says: “Indives saved by Italian authorities at sea, including those seeking security in Europe, are under Italian jurisdiction and cannot be sent to another country before their asylum requirements and individual circumstances” are considered.

In a reaction following the announcement that the leaders of Italy and Albania had reached an agreement on construction in Albania of the two centres for shelter of migrants rescued at sea from Italian ships, Mrs. Alice De Pierre, with the Amnesty International organisation, said that persons rescued at sea by Italian authorities are under Italian jurisdiction. She said the law is too simple to understand and that migrants cannot be sent to another country before their asylum demands are considered.

This agreement concerns the return, a practice which is prohibited under international and European law and for which Italy has already been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights. The deal is illegal, inappropriate and should be annulled, said Mrs. Alice De Pierre, with Amnesty International organisation.

“Italia claims the banned persons will remain under Italian jurisdiction, but the reality is that the agreement will be used to bypass the laws of Italy, the EU and international law. This could have devastating consequences for asylum seekers, who could undergo long bans and other violations, outside the control of Italian justice authorities”.

The European Commission has already made it clear that the EU asylum law cannot be implemented outside the bloc's borders. VOA