Italy judges deal new blow to Albania migrant scheme

A group of civil rights activists gather in protest, after the first group migrants intercepted in Italian waters, arrived at Shengjin port in Albania on October 16, 2024. [AFP]

Italian judges Monday rejected the detention of a group of migrants in Italian-run centres in Albania in a fresh blow to Rome by referring the case to Europe's top rights court.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's plan to outsource migrant processing to non-EU Albania has hit a second roadblock, with the seven men in question expected to be transferred shortly to Italy.