Lama: Hosting foreign prisoners and migrants a risk for Kosovo’s already vulnerable society

Analyst Alma Lama from Pristina believes that housing migrants from third countries in Kosovo would pose a risk to society, which, as she says, is already vulnerable in many ways. She also opposes the idea of building prisons for foreign convicts, arguing that such a practice could create serious problems, particularly concerning respect for human rights.

Lama notes that Kosovo and Denmark are already working on a prison for Danish convicts near Gnjilane, while the Belgian authorities have recently expressed similar interest.

“The agreement with Denmark, which has already been concluded, was viewed by the Government of Kosovo more as an investment in facilities and infrastructure, but that comes at a price. People who do not belong to Kosovo society could be brought here, and I believe there should be serious concern about human rights in this context,” she said.

She added that Kosovo already faces numerous social challenges and that foreign prisoners should not be transferred there.

“They should be returned to their own countries or to the country where they were serving their sentence. Bringing foreign prisoners to Kosovo, as well as asylum seekers from European countries, which is also being considered, is not the right approach, and Kosovo’s institutions should not do this under any circumstances. We have many problems as a society, and accepting them would not be a good solution,” she stated.

Lama emphasized that her stance does not apply to prisoners of Kosovo origin.

“When it comes to convicts of Kosovo origin, of course that is acceptable, perhaps even necessary, since they are citizens of Kosovo. This applies equally to Serbs and to people of any other nationality. But as for prisoners from other states, I am completely against it. I do not believe it benefits Kosovo society in any way,” she said firmly.

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti confirmed last week that Kosovo is considering the possibility of building centers to accommodate rejected asylum seekers from the United Kingdom.

Lama pointed out that the EU has agreements with Turkey and some African countries on returning migrants, agreements that are costly but functional, since those countries serve as “transit stations” for illegal migrants.

“Kosovo, Albania, and the Balkan region have nothing to do with such migrants. We have our own migrants and asylum seekers in Europe, who can always be returned here, but we should not be receiving migrants from Africa or the Middle East, as they would be able to move freely, and we already face challenges with extremism. In my opinion, it is not a good idea to bring such people into a society that already has its own vulnerabilities,” Lama concluded.