Migrants yes, criminals not yet: Albanian parliament splits on Italy deal, criminal amnesty

Albanian parliament voted to ratify a controversial agreement with Italy to process migrants in a northern seaside town while being forced to drop a criminal amnesty, described as ‘an act of mercy’ pushed for by the ruling party due to significant overcrowding in the country’s prisons.

Under the five-year deal signed between Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, Albania would open two reception and processing centres in Shengjin and Gjader on the northern Adriatic coast. Italy would then use the facilities to process the asylum applications of migrants picked up in Italian or international waters, sending them either to Italy or back home once the process is complete.

The deal would see some 3000 migrants processed monthly in closed centres, closely guarded by Italian and Albanian authorities.

Parliament, dominated by the ruling Socialist Party, voted in favour of the deal 77-0, while the divided opposition forces abstained and tried to disrupt proceedings by whistling.

Rama said after the outcome that it shows Albania is acting like an EU state by “agreeing to share a burden that Europe should face united, as a whole family, in the face of a daring challenge that transcends the traditional left and right divisions.”

Meloni thanked Rama and the Albanian people “for their friendship and collaboration.” In a post on X, Meloni described the agreement as cooperation “against clandestine immigration and human trafficking.”

The agreement has not sat well with civil society and the opposition, who have criticised a lack of transparency around the plan, adding that there were no consultations with the public, opposition, or anyone else before it was signed.

Fears of immigration have also punctured the discourse around the deal. Albania, which has witnessed significant migration in the last 30 years and has more citizens outside its borders than within, is not used to migration, and there are fears of how the makeup of society could change.

The government has assured the public, however, that the centres will be closed and the country, one of the poorest in Europe, will not be responsible for thousands of immigrants or asylum seekers.

But while the parliament approved the migrant deal vote, a draft law to grant an amnesty to several thousand prisoners was pulled from the agenda.

At the end of 2023, the government announced an amnesty to see those serving shorter sentences for lesser crimes, those over a certain age, and many female prisoners released or benefitting from sentence reductions. It would also impact those on probation or awaiting trial in custody.

Albania has one of the highest prison populations per capita, and overcrowding is at the point where there are eight people in one room in the capital of Tirana’s central prison. In addition, facilities require significant updating and lack basic facilities such as hot water, heating and cooling, and opportunities for education or rehabilitation.

The parliament was set to vote on the amnesty on Thursday with the hopes of it taking effect in March, but it was pulled from the agenda after the opposition, divided into several factions, refused to vote on it.

Members of the Nationalist Party have demanded that their members involved in violence and criminal damage during anti-government protests since 2018 be included in the amnesty, something the ruling party has refused.

Justice Minister Ulsi Manja said the draft law will be re-tabled soon, where it will pass with significantly more than the required minimum number of votes.

“The amnesty draft is not returned to the Laws Committee. The regulation clearly defines when a draft law is returned to the committee. The fact we withdrew it from the agenda means the consensus will be found in this hall,” said Manja.

The opposition has also claimed the law will include senior socialist party officials who have been accused or convicted of corruption and have accused the government of using it for their own gain.

Manja refuted this as fake news from “liars”.

“These days, I have heard a lot of political liars who have turned the deception of public opinion into an art in itself…We have made it clear there is no amnesty for corruption and organised crime, and the draft is in this hall in plain view to see,” he said.

(Alice Taylor | Euractiv.com)