On 20 August 2026, Amnesty International published the report “Italy: Extraterritorial Migration Detention and Human Rights Obligations – The Agreement with Albania”. The briefing analyses the impact of the Italy-Albania Agreement on the human rights of the people affected by it since its entry into force in January 2024. Moreover, it cautions governments and international institutions against the continued use of offshore detention and other externalisation tools.

The bilateral agreement, signed in November 2023 by the Government of the Italian Republic and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania, provides for the establishment of a migration detention site located in Albania (namely, an identification centre in Shenjin and a detention centre in Gjader) over which Italy retains jurisdiction. Italy’s plan was to use these facilities in Albania for the fast-tracked processing of asylum claims for people presumed to come from countries of origin regarded as “safe”. After being intercepted or rescued by Italian authorities in international waters, they would be forcibly transferred to Albania.

Soon after its announcement, Amnesty International expressed serious concern at the human rights risks posed by the Agreement, including for the safety and liberty of affected people.

Between October 2024 and January 2025, Italy carried out three maritime interceptions/rescues and forcibly transferred 74 people from international waters to Albania. However, several Italian court rulings invalidated the orders of detention for these people, leading to a halt to transfers from the high seas.

In March 2025, the Italian government amended the law of ratification of the Agreement to enable the Gjader centre to be used to detain male foreign nationals subject to expulsion orders in Italy, allowing for the forcible transfer of over 500 men from repatriation detention centres in Italy to Gjader.

As a result of these transfers, data show that 42 critical incidents took place in Gjader between 11 April and 16 May 2025, including two attempted hangings, a protest leading to three injured individuals, and various incidents of self-harm.

The briefing raises concerns about the risk of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, as people interviewed in Gjader consistently reported the use of physical restrictions during transfers, such as Velcro hand ties. Moreover, it warns that the conditions created by the Agreement, including the location of the centres in a country which has no jurisdiction over them and the different languages spoken by some of the staff members, pose additional challenges for the protection of the rights of detainees and their ability to access justice. This, together with inappropriate detention spaces, risks compromising the rights of detainees altogether.

The report further documents the challenges faced by lawyers, courts, monitoring mechanisms, and civil society in exercising their role for the protection of affected individuals. In particular, representatives of NGOs and members of the Italian and European Union parliaments have denounced restrictions imposed by Albanian authorities, including challenges in obtaining access to the centres to carry out unannounced visits. Instead, Amnesty International was repeatedly denied authorisation to visit the centres on vague and unsubstantiated security grounds. As a result, journalists, lawyers, members of parliament and NGOs have had to rely on the Italian government as their main source of information, although obtaining such information has not always been straightforward.

Furthermore, the Italian government has obstructed independent monitoring of the Agreement’s implementation by restricting parliamentary oversight, bypassing legislative processes, and limiting courts’ scrutiny over the designation of “safe countries of origin”.

In view of the above, Amnesty International calls on Italian authorities to end the Agreement with Albania, immediately end transfers of detainees with expulsion orders to Gjader, and ensure access to human-rights-compliant asylum procedures.