Ahead of the CPT’s visit to North Macedonia, the GDP and the Macedonian Young Lawyers Association (MYLA) have submitted information to the committee concerning the detention of migrants and asylum seekers. In particular, the submission notes the fact that during the CPT’s previous visit to the country in October 2014, severe shortcomings at the immigration detention centre in Skopje were recorded. The GDP and MYLA thus urge the CPT to re-visit the centre to assess whether the committee’s recommendations have been implemented. Indeed, these concerns have become even more paramount since the CPT’s 2014 visit because of the onset of the migration and “refugee crisis” in 2015. That year, roughly one million people transited the country. Official statistics provided by the Ministry of Interior indicate that 1,346 people were detained at the country’s sole official detention centre in 2015. Read more.