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OSCE mission report says situation for pre-trial detainees in Albania remains "problematic"
TIRANA 3 March 2004
TIRANA, 3 March 2004 - A report released today by the OSCE Presence in Albania says that the pre-trial detention situation in the country continues to be problematic. The document, which took nearly a year to compile, focuses in particular on the overcrowding in pre-trial detention centres, the lack of even the most basic living conditions for detainees, and the treatment of juveniles and women.
The report is based on a 25-question survey carried out by OSCE officers at all 25 pre-trial detention sites throughout the country. It focuses on the handover of pre-trial detention from the Ministry of Public Order to the Ministry of Justice and notes that this process appears to have been suspended now, due to disagreements between the State Police and the Prisons Service Police.
The report also concentrates on issues such as the physical conditions of pre-trial detention sites, the age of detainees, the origin of the inmates, the situation of the convicted prisoners residing in the pre-detention cells, and the police attitude. It notes that the problematic pre-trial detention situation in the country would be solved more easily if the Ministry of Justice had overall responsibility for the pre-trial detention system, since in that case the decisions would have to be taken within the same ministry.
The report recommends that a decision by the Albanian Council of Ministers - regarding the transfer of the pre-trial detention system from the Ministry of Public Order to the Ministry of Justice - be amended in order to reflect the current situation and needs in the area. It also makes recommendations about the improvement of physical and hygienic conditions and the application of human rights standards for the detainees.
OSCE staff, who visited the Albanian pre-trial detention sites during July and August 2003, held the interviews with the detainees in complete privacy. The attitude of police officers was described as very co-operative.
The report is based on a 25-question survey carried out by OSCE officers at all 25 pre-trial detention sites throughout the country. It focuses on the handover of pre-trial detention from the Ministry of Public Order to the Ministry of Justice and notes that this process appears to have been suspended now, due to disagreements between the State Police and the Prisons Service Police.
The report also concentrates on issues such as the physical conditions of pre-trial detention sites, the age of detainees, the origin of the inmates, the situation of the convicted prisoners residing in the pre-detention cells, and the police attitude. It notes that the problematic pre-trial detention situation in the country would be solved more easily if the Ministry of Justice had overall responsibility for the pre-trial detention system, since in that case the decisions would have to be taken within the same ministry.
The report recommends that a decision by the Albanian Council of Ministers - regarding the transfer of the pre-trial detention system from the Ministry of Public Order to the Ministry of Justice - be amended in order to reflect the current situation and needs in the area. It also makes recommendations about the improvement of physical and hygienic conditions and the application of human rights standards for the detainees.
OSCE staff, who visited the Albanian pre-trial detention sites during July and August 2003, held the interviews with the detainees in complete privacy. The attitude of police officers was described as very co-operative.