The initial findings of the inspection team highlight an alarming overcrowding of sleeping quarters and a critical lack of medical staff, entirely insufficient for the health issues presented by the persons stationed there.

The highest representative of citizens’ rights emphasized that these conditions constitute a serious violation of human dignity and are in complete contradiction to the minimal parameters set by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture.

During this detailed inspection, the living quarters, medical services, complaint files are being carefully examined, and confidential meetings are being organized with individuals deprived of liberty, in the complete absence of prison personnel.

At the end, the Ombudsman will draft a detailed document with the relevant data and suggestions, which will be sent for review to the Ministry of Justice and the General Directorate of Prisons. In parallel, experts will compare the current situation with that encountered during the inspection a year ago, to measure the degree of implementation of the recommendations left at that time.

Endrit Shabani, head of the institution, was firm in his statement after the supervision: “The fundamental issue is that this is not a simple penalty execution facility. Such a center should have been conceived as a hospital with strong security measures, not reduced to a prison with only two doctors specialized in mental health.”

The official clarified that the persons held in this institution are not convicts, but individuals against whom the court has ordered compulsory treatment, because they were unable to understand the consequences of their behavior at the time of committing the act.

Despite this, he described the living conditions as deeply degrading. “Today and tomorrow we are seeing an unacceptable reality. My team and the Mechanism Commissioner have found the same picture as last year. Twelve people are crammed into a single cell, in an environment that severely offends basic human rights. This constitutes a flagrant violation,” he stated.

The Ombudsman insisted that immediate and coordinated action is needed from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice. He pointed out that one of the buildings risks collapse and has become uninhabitable, while in the rest, extreme overcrowding prevails.

He highlighted another anomaly: while prisoners who are aware of their guilt periodically benefit from penal amnesties, these patients with severe mental health problems are excluded from such relief, simply because of how the system works. “Consequently, instead of receiving more lenient treatment, they are punished even more harshly and kept in intolerable conditions,” he added.

Referring to precedents, the head of the Mechanism recalled the case of the similar institution in Zahari, which was closed thanks to the continuous pressure of the Ombudsman. “It is unforgivable that we find ourselves again at the same point. This situation does not honor the Albanian state at all and requires the most urgent intervention of both responsible ministries,” he concluded, giving the floor to deputy commissioner Gloria Çarkaxhiu to draw a parallel between the findings of the two years.

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According to the institution, as soon as the report was received, four assistant commissioners were deployed on the ground. They first went to QSUT, but the citizen’s health condition made it impossible to interview him.

The verification group then continued its investigation at the Security Block, where testimonies were collected from staff and from other arrested individuals. After the citizen was transferred to the Trauma Hospital, his statement was also taken.

The Ombudsman says that the documentation gathered so far does not support the allegations of violence inside the Security Block. The verification also shows that the citizen went through several episodes of health crises linked to the illness from which he suffers.

The institution emphasizes that the citizen was interviewed the previous day as well and that, according to his written testimony, he made no claim of violence either at the moment of detention, during escort, while being held at the police station, or in the Security Block.

The verification process is still ongoing. The Ombudsman has requested that footage from security cameras in the areas where arrested persons are held be obtained, while the final conclusions will be made public after they are fully analyzed.

On the other hand, referring to the medical documentation and repeated health crises, the Ombudsman considers that the citizen’s stay in a cell poses a risk to his health and is contrary to the standards of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

For this reason, the institution has asked the Prosecution and the Court to urgently review the security measure and replace it with another one appropriate to the citizen’s health condition.

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The statement says the institution has been continuously engaged since the first day in monitoring the rights of detained or arrested protesters.

According to the response, the relevant documentation related to the detentions and escorts was also collected and verified that same day.

The Ombudsman clarifies that on Thursday it personally contacted the arrested individuals, while the institution’s teams were present at police stations 1, 2, 3 and 4 in Tirana, as well as at the Trauma Hospital, where detainees and injured persons were interviewed and the necessary information was gathered.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture carried out checks at the Security Block in Tirana, where detained protesters were interviewed.

So far, according to the statement, 10 official complaints have been registered related to excessive use of force during detention or escort by police officers. These cases are under administrative verification and, if confirmed, will be pursued using all legal means provided for under the institution’s mandate.

Also, from the interviews conducted up to Friday, it appears that none of the detained individuals filed a complaint about violence being used during their stay in the Security Block.

The Ombudsman also says that this Saturday, following an allegation of violence against a citizen inside the Security Block premises, two teams were immediately engaged. One team will interview the citizen in hospital, while the other team will carry out checks at the Security Block. According to the statement, the full findings will be made public after the verifications are completed.

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