Foreign organizations letter to the United Kingdom/ "Albania is not a safe country, it should be removed from the list"

2023-06-14 10:22:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Foreign organizations letter to the United Kingdom/ "Albania is not a safe

About 40 international organizations have sent a letter to the authorities in the United Kingdom demanding that Albania be removed from the list of safe countries.

The reason was taken from the high number of Albanian asylum seekers. The letter states that Albania does not meet the standards to be a safe country.

Among other things, the country is said to be facing serious issues such as corruption, human trafficking, gang-related violence and discrimination against various communities including the LGBTQI, Roma and Egyptian communities.

“ We would like to draw your attention to Amendment 128A, proposed by Baroness Lister and Lord Cashman, and to ask for your invaluable support in addressing a critical issue within the current Illegal Migration Bill. This bill, as it stands, would classify Albania on a list of 'safe countries' whose citizens can be quickly returned home, regardless of their individual asylum or human rights claims. The list includes EEA member states plus Switzerland.

In our opinion, the inclusion of Albania in such a list of 'safe countries' is a wrong decision. Albania does not belong to the EU (it has not joined) nor does it meet the necessary standards to be classified as a "safe country". UNHCR has rightly expressed its concerns, stating: "UNHCR is concerned that the list includes Albania, despite country guidelines published in the United Kingdom and UK court decisions which recognize that certain groups of Albanian citizens may to be in danger of persecution.". Designating a country as a 'safe country' requires confirmation that "in general, there is no serious risk of persecution of nationals of that country."

Unfortunately, Albania does not meet this criterion. The country faces serious issues such as corruption, human trafficking, gang-related violence and discrimination against diverse communities including the LGBTQI, Roma and Egyptian communities. The government's continued failure to effectively address these issues is troubling. The acceptance rate of asylum applications from Albanian citizens in the UK further proves this assertion that Albania does not meet the 'safe country' standard.

In 2022, the United Kingdom granted protection status to more than 650 Albanian nationals, including more than 60 unaccompanied children. Moreover, the same year witnessed a 57% success rate for appeals made by Albanians to the first-level court for their asylum claims. Those of us who provide professional support services to Albanian asylum seekers and victims of trafficking witness firsthand the fear and suffering of the Albanian asylum seeking community.

These individuals, who are extremely vulnerable, often remain unrecognized as such by society at large. This is only exacerbated by the prevailing narratives of criminality and abuse of the asylum system that are fueling powerful racism. The assertion that Albania is a 'safe state' for its citizens is, in our experience, fundamentally wrong.

It would be a misrepresentation to insist that there is no risk of persecution for nationals in that country. By including Albania in the Clause 57 list along with EEA (European Economic Area) member states and Switzerland, we risk directly violating our international and domestic legal obligations by forcibly returning individuals to face persecution," the letter says./ CNA