The Italian Council of Ministers approved in its last session before the end of the year a draft law ratifying an agreement with Libya allowing the transfer of prisoners between the two countries.
The agreement, which was signed in Palermo on September 29, 2023, aims to facilitate the reintegration of convicts into their communities of origin by allowing them to serve the remainder of their sentences in their countries.
This step comes at the initiative of the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, and allows the transfer of citizens detained and finally convicted in either country to their country of origin to serve the remaining part of the sentence.
According to a statement issued by the Chigi Palace, the agreement includes specific conditions that must be met for the transfer process, including the sentence being final, and the remaining part of the sentence being at least one year, except in exceptional cases.
The agreement also stipulates that the act that led to the conviction must also be a crime under the law of the country to which the prisoner will be transferred, in addition to the necessity of both countries’ approval of the transfer process, and the full and informed consent of the prisoners.
During his recent visit to Rome, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aqila Saleh, sought to open the file of five Libyan prisoners with the Italian Minister of Justice, Carlo Noredo, after 9 years of stagnation in the case, as they were sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2015 on charges related to human trafficking and illegal immigration.
