The migrant detention arrangement between Italy and Albania has come under renewed scrutiny after Amnesty International called for it to be ended. The organization said the practice carried out in international waters poses risks to the safety, freedom and human rights of asylum seekers and migrants.
In its briefing on the 2023 agreement, Amnesty International said hundreds of people had been forcibly transferred to centers in Albania. The organization noted that restricted access to lawyers and courts at these facilities weakened their ability to apply for asylum and access justice.
Transfers to Albania
Between October 2024 and January 2025, Italy transferred 74 people directly from international waters to Albania in three operations. The transfers were halted after Italian courts overturned the detention orders.
The agreement, amended in March 2025, allowed men held in Italy who had been ordered to be deported to be sent to Albania. Amnesty International said that more than 500 men, most of whom were described as racialized, had been transferred to the Gjader Detention Center after the amendment.
Critical incidents recorded at the center
Amnesty International documented 42 critical incidents at the Gjader Detention Center between April 11 and May 16, 2025. These included at least two attempted hangings, several cases of self-harm and a protest in which three people were injured by broken glass.
Amnesty International also accused the Italian government of restricting independent monitoring and parliamentary oversight. Although people in Albania remain under Italian jurisdiction, the center's distance from Italy and limited access to lawyers, courts and other safeguards weakened the right to asylum and access to justice, according to the organization.
Eve Geddie, director of Amnesty International's European Institutions Office, said that detention at sea was intended to deter migration and avoid responsibility for responding to people on the move. Geddie said the Italy-Albania model could not be implemented in a manner consistent with Italy's human rights obligations.
The financial dimension of the five-year arrangement
The five-year agreement entered into force in February 2024. Italy allocated more than 670 million euros, or 783 million dollars, through 2028 to operate the arrangement.
Amnesty International called on the Italian authorities to terminate the agreement. The organization also called for alternatives to detention and effective access on Italian territory to asylum procedures and reception services that respect human dignity.
