Tepelena prison "has major structural deficiencies and is almost unfit to be used as a punishment institution", and as a result, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture of the Council of Europe recommends to the Albanian authorities its closure. A report drawn up after a visit that a delegation of this Committee made to Albania in May of last year points out that "the environments of Tepelena prison were degraded". 

According to the document published on Friday, "the cells located on the ground floor were poorly ventilated, many of them were also in a bad state of repair. The communal showers were dilapidated and there were numerous complaints from prisoners about insufficient heating in winter. A number of prisoners were kept in very cramped quarters, where the cells offered less than 3 m2 of living space per person". 

In the Committee's assessment, "the current situation in this institution seriously affects the quality of life of the prisoners and the working conditions of the staff" noting that interventions for essential improvements would be at a very high cost. "Therefore, the Committee recommends that high priority be given to withdrawing from the service of this prison", the report underlines.