Denmark transfers convicts to Kosovo.
With Denmark's prisons being overcrowded, the country has decided to send some of its inmates to Kosovo. The Kosovar parliament has agreed to lease out 300 prison cells for a significant sum of money.
A deal has been reached between the Kosovar parliament and Denmark, which will see the renting of 300 prison cells. This decision was made to ease the overcrowded situation of Danish prisons. About 86 MPs voted in favor of this deal and 7 MPs voted against it. Denmark will be giving Kosovo approximately 200 million euros for a decade as part of the agreement. This money will be used for prison improvements and funding renewable energy projects.
The prisoners will be housed at a jail in the city of Gjilan, which is roughly 50 km from Pristina. According to the deal, individuals convicted of terrorism and war crimes, along with mentally ill prisoners, will not be relocated to Kosovo. Denmark's Justice Minister, Peter Hummelgaard, considers this agreement "vital" for getting more space in prisons and "balancing the heavily strained prison system" in their country.
Denmark's prison population has increased by close to 20% since 2015. At the beginning of 2021, there were over 4,000 prisoners, causing the prisons to officially surpass their capacity by 100%. In the same period, there has been a 18% decrease in the number of prison guards. Renting prison cells in a foreign country is not a new concept; Norway and Belgium have done so in the Netherlands in the past.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
This agreement between Denmark and Kosovo will see Danish convicts being housed in the city of Gjilan. Despite this, individuals convicted of terrorism and war crimes, as well as mentally ill prisoners, will not be relocated to Kosovo.
Source: www.ntv.de
