Rome, 11 August (LaPresse) – The Civil Court of Rome, Specialised Section for Immigration, has granted international and subsidiary protection to several Bangladeshi citizens transferred to the Repatriation Centre (CPR) in Gjader, Albania, on 18 October 2024. Their detention, which was not validated, had been ordered under the Albania Protocol, the bilateral agreement between Italy and Albania for the outsourced management of asylum procedures. According to LaPresse, the Roman judges rejected the refusals issued under the accelerated and border procedure, raising doubts about the legitimacy of Bangladesh's classification as a “safe country of origin”. At the heart of the ruling is the case of a Bangladeshi man, father of four daughters, who left his village to escape poverty, debt and death threats. During his migration, he was kidnapped in Libya, where he was tortured for months until his family paid a ransom. Upon arrival in Albania, he was subjected to an accelerated procedure and his application for protection was rejected on 17 October 2024, just one day before his transfer to the CPR in Gjader. The Court of Rome recognised the validity of his statements, judging his account to be credible and classifying him as a victim of trafficking, belonging to a “particular social group” within the meaning of the Geneva Convention. The ruling emphasised the obligation of the authorities to assess the applicant's situation on a case-by-case basis, even in the presence of general security designations. The judges highlighted how the Territorial Commission had ignored clear signs of exploitation and trafficking, which had already emerged during the hearing, emphasising the need for an individual investigation.
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