Italy: Sixteen Centres of Inhuman Sojourn

Cinzia Gubbini (2004)

Doctors Without Borders: "The CPT (CPT=centri di permanenza temporanea - literally translated: centres of temporary sojourn/stay, actually removal centres) in Turin, Trapani (Sicily) and Lamezia Terme (Calabria) have to be closed, the immigrants are not even provided with a minimum of dignity". But the situation in the other centres is not better:"The right of asylum is amply violated and there is abuse of drugs used in treatment of mental conditions (psicofarmaci)".

A opaque place. At the end of the presentation of the first "white book" on the centres for temporary stay for foreigners, curated by the Italian section of Doctors Without Borders, this is the most accurate definition. This is a paradox, considering the fact, that the work of Doctors Without Borders is precisely to shed a lighton the way the CPT work: for the first time an internationally accredited organisation has decided to make an effort to scientifically monitor those places of imprisonment. Three teams have entered all of the sixteen centres spread over the national territory (eleven "centres of temporary stay and assistance" established according to the law and five defined as being "hybrids", for they have become CPT de facto), distributed questionnaires, drafted a report following standard parameters between June and October of 2003. What is the outcome? That the system of CPT’s is a failure, which has in itinere modified the "original goal into a repressive meaning".

Since Doctors Without Borders (DWB) is a humanitarian organisation that also works in some of those centres has not expressed an opinion regarding the legitimacy or the existence of CPT. It highlights however "the multidimensional inefficiencies on various levels", and demands the closure of three structures (Lamezia Terme, Turin and Trapani), the change of the CPT of Lampedusa, it denounces the non-existence of uniform procedures and protocols, the excessive use of psycho-pharmaceuticals, the lack of legal, social and sanitarian services. "The failed respect of the laws and the procedures inside the CPT" - denounced Loris De Filippi, responsible of the DWB-mission in Italy - "is too often the reason for the violation of the rights and dignity of the persons." DWB requests the creation of an independent and impartial authority, dedicated to the constant monitoring of the CPT, but also a wider opening to "civil society". The testimony of Luigi Manconi, delegate of the Roman mayor Veltroni for the protection of the personal freedom of private persons, is emblematic - he is barred from entering CPT’s, for a town council cannot nominate "inspection" authorities.

From the report of DWB a "realta arcipelago" emerges, even in the distribution of underwear (three every three days in Turin, two per month in Trapani). There are places in which the structures are acceptable and others, in which one cannot live, such as the Brunelleschi in Turin, where the people live in containers where the system of air-circulation does not work and each person only has 2,7 square meters. The international standard in emergency camps in war-zones indicates 3,5 per person.

In spite of that there are two things that occur in all of the CPT. Incidents of self-mutilation and not very careful distribution of psycho-pharmaceuticals, often given "without any consultation of the boards of mental health". The case of Bologna comes to mind, and the inquiry regarding the sedatives "dissolved in the food". For that DWB demands a closer collaboration with the local health boards.

In addition there is a general unpreparedness of the personnel that runs the centres. There are various procedures for hiring personnel and the "the agreements between the managing board and the prefecture" often "are not taking into account the level of experience of the organisation.". This happens in the centre of Restinco, run by the association "Fiamme d’Argento" (retired Carabinieri - military police). The "informal notice" (?) presented by the prefecture of Brindisi has been won with a reduction of 60%.

It is obvious therefore, that there is a lack of legal assistence everywhere, as well as cultural mediation and special attention to specific diseases (often the total lack of preventive treatment for infectious diseases). All this flavoured with an ambiguous police presence, denounced by DWB for "excessive interference". In Bologna an employee of the Red Cross is handling the cases without any specific preparation. There, DWB has found an Iranian detainee who was there for two weeks in spite of having requested asylum. Due to that, the "absence of UNHCR causes concern", explained DWB, which can enter the centres but hardly ever does it.

Another critical issue is the excessive presence of former prison inmates (the average is 60%, with peaks of 95% as in Modena). An element that shows better than others the transformation of the CPT into centres of identification of people who have to be expelled into a repressive system. According to the law the documents for the expulsion of a foreign prison inmate has to be prepared during the imprisonment, instead of applying an actual extension of the detention of additional 60 days.

Defining the system of the CPT as being "fallimentare" (a failure), it says that "relatively few of the detainees are actually being repatriated". A notorious fact, even if the official data are scarse, according to a precise policy of the ministry of interior. Even DWB had difficulties. They received only those data regarding the time period between July 2002 and July 2003: 16.924. To be taken with a grain of salt, it if is true, as DWB denounces, that some of the persons are "old acquaintances" in the CPT. In Ponte Galeria (near the Fiumicino Airport, Rome) a woman has been detained seven times.

The undersecretary of the minstry of interior, Mantovano has defined the dossier as being outdated, stating that the CPT of Crotone is "now a model structure". Model, that’s how he calls it, in spite of the fact that the centre for the asylum seekers has been built inside the removal centre, in a town (Isola capo Rizzuto) where the council has been dissolved due to mafia activities.
(the translation was not carried out by a native speaker, please excuse the flaws here and there).