Court ruling is setback for Italy’s plan to send asylum seekers to Albania

Under nan deal, group from ‘safe’ countries are to beryllium held successful Albania while their claims for asylum are processed.

Seven asylum seekers person been sent backmost to Italy from Albania aft a tribunal successful Rome refused a general petition to detain them successful nan Balkan nation, a setback for a contentious programme championed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The determination connected Monday related to nan lawsuit of 7 group from Bangladesh and Egypt who were rescued successful nan Mediterranean Sea by nan Italian navy while trying to make their measurement to Europe. They were brought to Italy overnight, a fewer days aft their presence successful Albania.

According to a five-year woody agreed to by Meloni and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Albania would let Italy to tally 2 processing centres connected its territory pinch nan capacity to surface up to 3,000 group a period to find if they suffice for asylum aliases should beryllium returned to their location countries.

Rights groups person criticised nan statement arsenic a vulnerable precedent and questioned whether it complies pinch world laws.

The first 12 asylum seekers sent to Albania were returned to Italy aft different tribunal determination successful October, soon aft nan screening centres were opened.

In some cases, nan Italian courts referred nan cases to nan European Court of Justice successful Luxembourg to norm if nan asylum seekers’ countries of root are considered safe for repatriation. The first 12 asylum seekers were besides from Egypt and Bangladesh.

Meloni’s authorities had issued a decree establishing a caller database of 19 supposedly safe countries of origin, which includes Egypt and Bangladesh. But nan European Union has not classified either arsenic safe countries of origin.

The tribunal rulings person raised nan ire of Meloni’s far-right government, which has been seeking strategies for easing nan strain of exile and migrant arrivals.

In nan latest decision, nan tribunal specified it was seeking explanation connected which countries are designated arsenic safe “only to place which process to apply”.

“The removal of a authorities from nan database of safe countries of root does not forestall nan repatriation and/or expulsion of those migrants whose asylum applications person been rejected,” nan tribunal said successful its ruling.

Italy is nan first state successful nan 27-nation EU to process asylum claims extracurricular nan bloc. The programme is being intimately watched by different European governments, respective of which are considering harsher measures to stem migration.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies