Albanian Ombudsman requests human rights oversight at Gjadër asylum camp

The Albanian Ombudsman has officially requested from Italian authorities access to monitor human rights conditions inside the Gjadër asylum seekers’ camp. To enhance oversight, the institution plans to establish a special commissioner dedicated to reviewing every case that arises from the camp over the five-year duration of the bilateral migration agreement between Albania and Italy.

Why is this important: The agreement, signed in November 2023 between Prime Minister Edi Rama and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, sparked significant debate over the potential human rights implications for migrants held at the Gjadër camp, especially since Albania is not an EU member. The dual supervision from institutions in both countries aims to provide stronger assurances that migrants’ rights will be upheld.

Context: The Albanian Ombudsman initially expressed concerns about the agreement, even taking the matter to the Constitutional Court. However, following the court’s ruling, the Ombudsman is now confident that the issues, particularly concerning the fate of migrants whose asylum requests are denied, have been addressed. Communication with Italian counterparts clarified that migrants will be returned to Italy, whether their asylum applications are accepted or rejected.

Despite these assurances, as procedural details continue to be refined, the Gjadër camp—which was completed in early October—has yet to house any asylum seekers. Recent Italian court rulings, which have deemed the migrants’ countries of origin unsafe, have compelled Italian authorities to send back both groups of migrants who arrived in mid-October and last week.