2022-11-04
TIRANA / LONDON – Our team reported from Albania, where they travelled to Tirana, Kukes and Elbasan to meet young people who had recently been forcibly returned from the UK after crossing the English Channel from Calais, France, in small boats.
We examined the reasons why many Albanian nationals, including minors and young adults, are fleeing their country in search of a better life and the huge risks they are willing to take to reach the UK.
The UK has promised to start 'fast-tracking' the return of Albanian nationals arriving by small boat. We were the first journalists to locate individuals returned under this new pilot scheme. The scheme was announced in August 2022. We obtained expert commentary from lawyers and NGOs about the scheme's implementation. We also gathered worrying testimony about the prison-like conditions inside the Manston refugee centre. We discovered that some Albanians had been forcibly returned via charter flight without access to legal assistance.
Photo ©SOAS Detainee Support
Supported
€9,000 granted on 15/04/2020ID
ECB/2020/JA3A/583Tags
ONLINE
- ‘Like a Dead Cat on the Road’: Inside the UK’s Most Notorious Immigration Centre - Vice World News (04/11/2022)
- Arrivés en Angleterre par la mer, expulsés par charter : deux Albanais témoignent - Mediapart (28/11/2022)
need resources for your own investigative story?
Journalismfund Europe's flexible grants programmes enable journalists to produce relevant public interest stories with a European mind-set from international, national, and regional perspectives.
support independent cross-border investigative journalism
We rely on your support to continue the work that we do. Make a gift of any amount today.
