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A Rome court's Appellate Division has ordered the return of 49 migrants, including Bangladeshis, who had been rescued in international waters while attempting to illegally enter Italy via the Mediterranean.
They had been sent to Albania three days earlier, reports bdnews24.com.
The court directed the migrants' release on Friday, ruling that they should be returned to Italy by Saturday evening.
This marks the third time migrants sent to Albania have been ordered to return to Italy, according to a report by the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
The report indicated that the migrants, who had entered Italy illegally from Libya via the Mediterranean, were initially sent to Albania by the Italian government after being rescued in international waters.
On Monday, 49 migrants were sent to an asylum centre in Albania.
Later, six migrants, including minors and those with health issues, were returned to Italy, but 43 remained in Albania, most of them Bangladeshi nationals.
The Italian media has not yet commented on whether the government will appeal the ruling.
In an interview with local media, the judges said: “We must think about the freedom and rights of each migrant. Holding someone under the guise of asylum means stripping them of their rights. If a person is a citizen of a safe country, the court will not allow them to stay in Italy. These are the court's decisions, but forcibly taking someone to another country against their will is unjust.”
Meanwhile, the asylum applications of the 43 migrants remaining in Albania were rejected by Albanian judges on Tuesday.
They were later given seven days to appeal the decision with a lawyer.
However, the Rome court has now referred the government's migrant transfer actions to the European Union Court and requested a review of these actions.
Local media reports that the EU court will announce its decision on Feb 25.
Earlier, on Oct 18, 12 Bangladeshis and Egyptians were sent to Albania.
In a second instance, on Nov 11, the Italian government sent more Bangladeshis and Egyptians to Albania.
Both times, Italy’s courts ordered their return to the country.