Extremely tense situation in the pre-detention sites

01.07.2004

On July 28, 2004, about midday, the pre-trial detainees located in the Police Station in Vlora, protested to appeal to the improvement and observance of their rights.

After the AHC correspondent in Vlora and from the meetings with pre-detained people it resulted that among other things the reason of the protest was the appalling hygienic conditions, overcrowding of the cells that made living there impossible as well as the high temperatures  of the recent days.

Albanian Helsinki Committee has more than once publicly reacted and has verbally notified the relevant bodies, among them the Council of Ministers about the grave situation in the pre- detention sites of some of the police stations and also about the one in Vlora.

 Albanian Helsinki Committee doesn’t deny the fact that there have been taken some measures in this direction, but it is assessed that they are not sufficient and not to the extent of having an impact on the observance of the pre-detainees and imprisoned rights kept in these sites. This is a fact best evidenced by the event of the recent days.

It would be adequate to mention the fact that from the last monitoring conducted by Albanian Helsinki Committee in the district police stations where the correspondent network of this committee operates, including here the pre-detention sites in Vlora that has been transferred under the authority of the Ministry of Justice, the situation in these sites has worsened more and more.

   To the Albanian Helsinki Committee, it is an unjustifiable fact that the pre-detention sites are not yet under the complete authority of the Ministry of Justice, as prescribed by law “ On the management and functioning of the Ministry of Justice” and the decision of the Council of Ministers for taking measures for the transference of the pre-detention sites.

According to the opinion of the Albanian Helsinki Committee, this delay has to a considerable extent negatively influenced the grave situation of the pre-detention rooms as well as the observance of the pre-detainees rights, not mentioning the other distressing fact that there is a considerable number of people sentenced with a final verdict that are located in pre-detention sites.

Albanian Helsinki Committee observes with great concern that the law “On the management and functioning of the Ministry of Justice” and the decision of the Council of Ministers “On the transference of the pre-detention sites under the authority of the Ministry of Justice” was not accompanied with the allocation of the necessary and adequate funds and also with the concrete measures of a technical and management level that would guarantee their practical enforcement.

AHC appeals to the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Public Order to take urgent measures to appease the side effects of overcrowding of the cells and the impact of the high temperatures.

AHC appeals to the relevant local bodies to show attention to the treatment of the arrested and chronically diseased people and take measures for their transference in appropriate facilities where there is access to health care.

AHC appeals to the prosecution and court bodies to keep away from the delays of the judicial proceedings, to hold preliminary investigations and judicial examinations at the fastest period ever, by alleviating this way the cell overcrowding due to subjective reasons.

AHC appeals to the Albanian Government to speed up the process of the real transference of the pre-detention sites under the authority of the Ministry of Justice by scheduling adequate facilities and sufficient budgets.

Albanian Helsinki Committee considers worth reiterating the appeal to all the state powerful bodies to evaluate this problem seriously, by taking steps to prevent such phenomena in the future.