A Rome court has awarded 700 euros in compensation to a migrant who spent a month in the Gjadri camp after the Italy-Albania agreement on illegal immigrants. The February 10 ruling, signed by judge Corrado Bile of the Rome Court, is the first to condemn the Interior Ministry for transferring migrants from an Italian CPR, a detention center for migrants, to a camp in Albania. It sets a precedent and is expected to open a new front of conflict with the Italian government in the midst of the campaign for a referendum on justice.
According to the judges of the Rome Court, the transfer of the immigrant to Albania has "directly affected the fundamental rights protected by international conventions and the Constitution."
Here are the facts. On April 10 of last year, the immigrant in question, a 50-year-old Algerian, held at the time in the CPR of Gradisca d'Isonzo, was suddenly transferred to Gjadri. He was told that his destination was the CPR of Brindisi, but in fact (with his hands tied with plastic handcuffs throughout the journey) he was sent to Albania. He was only informed of this 48 hours after his arrival.
The immigrant, who has been living in Italy for 19 years, has an Italian partner and two minor children. Among other things, he was unable to meet his family who live in northern Italy. Like many others, he filed an asylum application in Gjadra. His lawyer, Gennaro Santoro, filed an appeal and on May 9, the judges, as provided by law during the asylum application review period, ordered his release.
From here arose the claim for compensation for the non-pecuniary damage suffered, now for the first time recognized by the Court of Rome./La Repubblica
