SOAS Detainee Support

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 15/04/2020
ID:
ECB/2020/JA3A/583
Grant:
European Cross-border Grants

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