A migrant has been sent back to Italy from the Gjader repatriation center in Albania after he was deemed "unfit to live in a restricted community." He is reportedly the second in a group of 40 to be returned to Italy.

The 39-year-old Georgian, who had been transferred alongside 39 other migrants from the Italian port city of Brindisi to the repariation center set up by the Italian government in the Albanian city of Gjader, was returned to Italy on Wednesday (April 16).

He was taken to the Italian port city of Bari after having been found to suffer from psychiatric issues.

The Georgian man, assisted by the lawyer Loredana Liso, reportedly suffers from psychiatric issues. Despite the fact that he spent several months in a repatriation center at Bari-Palese in Italy’s southern region Puglia (since November 27), he had not previously undergone a specialist examination.

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No previous examination

Once he arrived in Albania, and on the request of his lawyer, the man underwent an assessment by the vulnerability commission, which attested to his being unfit for life in a restricted community. The commission was established by a September 2024 decree and operates on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding for the healthcare of migrants hosted in the Albanian facilities, as provided for by Law Number 14 in 2024.

Attesting to his being unfit, the director of the Albanian center ordered his immediate transfer back to Italy. The 39-year-old was returned to Bari and is waiting for lodgings appropriate for his situation to be found.

The man arrived in Gjader on April 11 alongside 39 other migrants onboard the Libra ship from Brindisi. On the basis of a new government decree, since March 28 the Gjader center can now host people already detained in Italian repatriation centers (CPR), thus freeing up more space in Italy.

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Tavolo Asilo vows to continue to monitor CPR in Albania

Since April 16, the Tavolo Asilo e Immigrazione (TAI) resumed independent monitoring activities at the Gjader CPR alongside Italian members of parliament and European members of parliament from the opposition.

The aim is to continue to document the application of the Memorandum of Understanding between Italy and Albania and whether or not the rights of those detained are being respected.

According to the TAI organization, that is an umbrella organization working in the field of migrant rights in Italy. Further elements have emerged to confirm what was reported in the first few days of the activation of the CPR in Gjader.

"Another person," TAI stated, "has been taken back to Italy because his health condition was deemed unfit for detention. This is the second case after another foreign national was taken back to Italy in recent days a few hours after his arrival in Albania. In addition, it emerged during discussions that another person had already reportedly committed acts of self-harm."

The monitoring will in the coming days continue to focus on verifying whether basic protections are in place for those detained, especially as there are concerns over access to legal assistance for all those detained as well as whether the detainees have enough access to health assistance.

TAI reiterated its negative opinion of the entire structure of the MoU, which it branded "a violation of the basic rights of migrating people and raises serious questions at the level of constitutional and European law."