Head of OSCE Presence in Albania visits prison, appeals for better detention conditions

The Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Eugen Wollfarth, paid a visit to the Zaharia prison in Kruja, on 7 September 2012, to assess the living conditions of the detained persons.

As an OSCE participating State, Albania has committed itself to treat all persons deprived of their liberty with humanity and respect for their inherent dignity. In particular, Albania has pledged to take measures, as necessary, to improve the conditions of individuals in detention or imprisonment.

Underlining the OSCE Presence in Albania’s mandate to promote human rights, Ambassador Wollfarth noted: “Significant improvements in the penitentiary system have taken place, through the construction of new facilities and the establishment of the new probation system, the latter with the support of the OSCE Presence. We are looking forward to a further strengthening of the professional healthcare services throughout the entire prison system, an area where Albanian institutions still have to make progress.”

Wollfarth said that this was particularly true for the Zaharia prison which holds detainees and mentally ill offenders who were ordered by court to undergo obligatory medical treatment.

He commended the prison’s staff for their high level of professional dedication despite the very challenging and difficult circumstances in which they work.

As the chair of the Sub-Committee on Prison Reform of the International Consortium, a group created to co-ordinate international assistance to Albania, the OSCE Presence pays additional attention to the rights of prisoners in detention to be treated with humanity, dignity and respect. Based on monitoring of places of detention, the Presence has produced practical recommendations to help the Albanian authorities improve the situation in prisons.