A/HRC/20/24/Add.1 60. The Special Rapporteur is gravely concerned at issues related to accessibility, detention conditions, legal safeguards in law and practice and the treatment of migrants detained in Kareç. The centre is situated 20 km outside Tirana in a remote location practically inaccessible due to extremely bad road conditions. Such circumstances seriously obstruct the enjoyment of detainees’ right to legal defence (art. 79, para. 4) and independent monitoring by national and international bodies. Its external and internal infrastructure, with high fences and detainees’ rooms kept in a corridor locked behind bars, as well as its rules of “daily routine”, reminded the Special Rapporteur of a mid- to high-security prison. He noted the unacceptably cold and humid conditions of the centre and was most concerned at reports of frequent and long power cuts. The centre has very limited possibilities for outdoor exercise: no sport facility or exercise yard were available. 61. A specific leaflet on detainees’ rights “has been produced and contains basic information on fundamental rights for persons deprived of their liberty”. However, the Special Rapporteur was concerned about the lack of translated copies in languages commonly spoken by detainees and very limited language skills of staff. Further, he noted that the lack of a specific provision to inform arriving detainees of their rights and the reason for their detention. 44 The Special Rapporteur heard pleas for a thorough individual assessment, including of potential asylum claims, of persons brought to Kareç. At present, such assessment was considered “superficial” by detainees. 62. The Special Rapporteur was particularly concerned at the presence of a Somali girl and her female relative in the centre. At the time of his visit, they had been staying in the centre for almost two weeks. They informed the Special Rapporteur that they had not had any contact with their families nor received information on the development of their case or on their right to access to a lawyer. They had been told to “wait”. Staff had shown interest in their situation, they explained, only on the day of the visit of the Special Rapporteur, when the Somali woman was given a pair of socks. The girl further told the Special Rapporteur that, while initially with the police at Tirana International Airport she had been told that they would either stay in the centre or be sent back to Somalia. According to the girl, she had received no response when asking police what would happen to her if she decided to stay in Albania. 63. While noting information that children are not accepted at Kareç, he notes that the internal regulations contain provisions which foresee the presence of “minors” in the centre.45 He is further concerned that the Law on Foreigners (art. 87) allows for detention of unaccompanied minors in a “social centre” on an exceptional basis. The Special Rapporteur recalls the general rule that separated and unaccompanied minors should not be detained. 46 64. The Special Rapporteur is concerned at the lack of adequate training and sensitization of staff on international human rights standards and principles regarding the rights and treatment of persons deprived of their liberty. As the first of its kind in Albania, the Kareç centre presents a new challenge to the institutions and personnel responsible for its operation due to lack of funds, human resources and human rights expertise. 44 45 46 18 See in particular article 3 on entry and registration of detained foreigners in the closed centre. Arts. 14, para. 1 and 5, and 15, para. 6. Committee on the Rights of the Child, general comment No. 6 (2005) on treatment of unaccompanied minors and separated children outside their country of origin, para. 61. Council of Europe, Positions on the rights of minor migrants in an irregular situation, CommDH/PositionPaper(2010)6, p. 5.

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