“Help us recognize those in need from afar, struggling against the waves of the ocean, and the reefs of unknown coasts. ”
Last weekend, Pope Francis spoke out in a heartfelt way to show compassion for migrants making the risky journey across the Mediterranean to seek a better life. Many of these migrants see Malta as a beacon of light, since it is the nearest port of Europe to Libya.
These words are not controversial. Maltese government has a responsibility for treating these people with respect and as human beings. It is regrettable that the government has to carry this heavy burden, but its actions towards migrants by its political elite have been inhumane.
Ninety migrants were drowned off the coast of Malta the weekend after Pope Francis’s visit. Doctors Without Borders, an international human rights group, asked Malta to assist the survivors. Instead, they were returned to Libya, where they are subject to torture and abuse in government detention centers. This has been a disturbing result of an uneasy agreement between the Maltese government in 2017 and the Libyan coastguard.
The agreement provides Malta with funding and training for the Libyan coastguard. In return, Libyans intercept migrants to take them back to their camps. Between March 1st and March 31st, 300 migrants died trying to cross the Mediterranean to Malta. More than 3000 were intercepted by Libyan coastguard and taken back to Libya. A staggering 30,000 migrants were caught in 2021, with 1500 drowning while trying to cross the border. UN investigators found evidence that suggests crimes against humanity have been committed against migrants held in Libya. This tragedy has tarnished Malta’s reputation.
The few ‘lucky’ ones who make it to Malta are treated with the same disdain.
They have been prominently featured in media reports about their troubles in Malta by the ‘El Hiblu 3″. Two of the three teens were minors at that time and were arrested for terrorism in 2019. Their crime? They convinced a captain to allow them to go to Malta with another hundred refugees, instead of being returned to Libya. Although the young men are still awaiting trial, they face the real danger of being sentenced to up to 30 years in prison. The treatment of the “El Hiblu 3” in Malta has been widely condemned by human rights groups including Amnesty international. It has also triggered protests at Maltese embassies abroad.
Three years after the original incident, the three young men were finally able to speak for the first time. Their language skills were ultimately to their disadvantage as they had to translate between the migrants and the captain of a ship, which resulted in them being designated the leaders of the rebellion.
“You aren’t statistics, you are flesh and blood, people with dreams and faces”
The Pope’s words are relevant to ElHiblu3, who face nine criminal charges and are likely to spend time in prison. Abdalla, Kader, and Amara clearly need compassion and understanding. However, they are unlikely to get any.
The ElHiblu3 incident is indicative of wider racism in Malta. It’s migrants who are most affected by this discrimination. Nine days later, another horrible incident occurred – one that still lingers over the island nation. Lassana, a father of two aged 42, was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting motivated by racial prejudice. Three years later, his body still has not been returned to his loved ones by the two soldiers who were accused of the attack. The rights of migrants and minorities are secondary to the elite Maltese.
Contrast this with scenes from the Pope’s visit, where he was seen hugging migrants and listening to their stories about survival. Social media has been inundated by abhorrent messages urging the Pope to “take them back with him to Vatican” since his visit. Although it is a good thing that not everyone in Malta has this same lack of empathy, it doesn’t give one confidence in Malta’s ability to resolve the situation soon.
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