Twenty-five Maltese authors in a joint statement today said they dissociated themselves from plans for the forced repatriation of migrants and said  they were disappointed that the government had even considered such a possibility.

Such an action, they said, would have endangered these people's lives.

"We feel that the Maltese government, elected by the people, has the power, and especially, the moral duty, to protect these people, who live in the most trying circumstances," the authors said.

They regretted that it had to be the European Court of Human Rights to stop this deportation, a fact which showed that Malta had shown a lack of human compassion.

"No talk of 'the national interest' can ever justify such an action, more so when the migrants were to be repatriated without being given their fundamental right to make their case, in terms of established procedures."

The authors said that as Maltese citizens, they were dissociating themselves from this decision as they were convinced that it went against human dignity.

Today's declaration follows a similar declaration by 68 lawyers two days ago.

The declaration was signed by

Clare Azzopardi, Keith Azzopardi , Simon Bartolo, Gilbert Calleja, Glen Calleja, Antoine Cassar, Leanne Ellul, Annalise Falzon, Albert Gatt, Claudia Gauci, Elizabeth Grech, Simone Galea,

Maria Grech Ganado, Adrian Grima, Grima, Simone Inguanez, Caldon Mercieca, Immanuel Mifsud, Nadja Mifsud, Walid Nabhan, John Portelli 

Marco Scerri, Mark Vella, Karl Schembri, Simone Spiteri