Amnesty denounces that migrants are being illegally held in Italian detention centres

4 Jul. () –

The NGO Amnesty International has denounced that a large number of migrants and asylum seekers arriving on the Italian coast are being held illegally in detention centres where they should “never” have been held, as part of Giorgia Meloni’s new migration policies.

These arrests, Amnesty warns, are a clear violation of the rights of these people, many of whom suffer from “serious mental health problems”, are persecuted for their sexual orientation or political activism, or are fleeing violence or labour and sexual exploitation.

“Detention should be exceptional and a measure of last resort,” said Amnesty’s Deputy Director for Europe, Dinushika Dissanayake, who believes such arrest warrants are “completely unnecessary” as they “destroy people’s lives, health and families.”

In a new report entitled ‘Freedom and dignity: Amnesty International’s observations on the administrative detention of migrants and asylum seekers in Italy’, the NGO denounces that Italian laws do not comply with international obligations and violate the right to asylum.

Since last year, the Italian government has imposed new immigration restrictions, for example by building new detention centres, extending the time of custody to 18 months before repatriation or arresting asylum seekers based on their nationality, in clear violation of international law which requires individual assessment.

“The failure of the Italian authorities to establish an effective system of alternatives to detention, combined with an inadequate legal process overseen by non-professional judges, is leading to an abuse of detention,” Dissanayake warned.

“Italy’s laws and practices are not compatible with international law and standards and lead to violations not only of the right to liberty, but also of the rights to asylum, an effective remedy and legal assistance,” said Amnesty’s Deputy Director for Europe.

POOR CONDITIONS IN DETENTION CENTERS

In this latest report, Amnesty has detailed the poor conditions in two detention centres to which it has had access, the Ponte Galeria in Rome and the Pian del Lago in the Sicilian municipality of Caltanissetta, in April 2024.

The NGO met with people from Tunisia, Iran, Peru, Georgia, Egypt, Morocco, Gambia and China. It found that conditions in the centres did not meet international standards. The detainees had little freedom of movement and had access to “extremely basic” infrastructure.

Foam mattresses placed on concrete beds, bathrooms in poor condition and sometimes without doors, with light switches turned on and off by guards and windows sealed shut, while personal smartphones were banned, Amnesty said.

“People are forced to spend all their time in fenced spaces, in conditions that are in many ways worse than in prison, and are denied even a minimum of autonomy,” laments Dissanayake, who warns of the serious risks to the mental health of those whose stay is prolonged too much.

The NGO insists that this type of administrative detention related to immigration matters should not be punitive in nature or impose prison-like conditions. However, the places visited by Amnesty did not comply with these precepts and “appeared extremely restrictive, empty and inadequate from a health and safety perspective.”

Amnesty has also not overlooked the new agreement recently reached by the governments of Italy and Albania, by which the latter agrees to receive a portion of the migrants and asylum seekers who arrive on the coasts of the former.

“Immigration detention should only be used in exceptional circumstances…alternative, less coercive measures should always be considered first. People seeking international protection should not be detained,” Dissanayake stressed.

In cases where detention is necessary, the Italian authorities, Dissanayake explains, “must carry out rigorous and regular assessments of the suitability of these persons to be detained.”

The Italian government must also ensure that the conditions in these centres respect international standards, human dignity and allow people to be in contact with the outside world. “A radical change in the punitive approach to migration policies is urgently needed,” he said.