Amnesty blasts Malta over treatment of immigrants

Malta has been criticised by the international human rights organisation Amnesty International over the way it treats asylum seekers and illegal immigrants.

In its report The State Of Human Rights In The World During 2005 published yesterday, Amnesty said that asylum-seekers in Malta continued to be detained in contravention of international law and subjected to procedures which fell short of international standards. Harsh conditions, ill-treatment and brutality by law enforcement officials were reported from detention centres holding asylum-seekers, it said. In its report, Amnesty levelled criticism at almost all EU member states. Through its EU office in Brussels, it described 2005 as an uncomfortable year for the EU, saying that almost all member states were included in the report - "a clear indication of persistent human rights shortcomings in Europe".

In a section dedicated to Malta, the authorities came in for severe criticism especially on detention policy. "The policy of mandatory detention for up to 18 months of irregular migrants continued throughout 2005. Although the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has stated that no country should justify using detention as a form of deterrence against irregular migration, the Maltese government confirmed its commitment to continue this practice in a policy paper issued in January."

Last year's violent incidents between the armed forces and detainees at Safi barracks were also highlighted.

According to Amnesty, eyewitnesses reported that soldiers attacked the peaceful protesters. Twenty-six people were taken to hospital, several with serious injuries.

"On December 12, the Maltese board of inquiry published the results of its investigation into the events at the Safi detention centre. The inquiry found that members of the armed forces applied excessive force - 'exaggerated and out of proportion in the circumstances' - in their attempts to force the protesters back into the detention centre."

Amnesty also criticised Malta for introducing amendments to the Refugees Act which, according to the report, would allow Malta to deport asylum seekers while their appeals on the rejection of their application for asylum was still pending.

Referring directly to torture, Amnesty said that last August the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) published a report on Malta following a visit to the country in which the delegation was particularly concerned about certain physical conditions in detention facilities.

"The CPT delegation reported allegations of deliberate physical ill-treatment of foreign nationals, including kicks, punches and blows with batons. The report noted that cases of self-mutilation, suicide attempts, hunger strikes, vandalism and violence were relatively common and that none of the detention facilities visited had its own health care staff."

Dick Oosting, director of Amnesty's EU office, said that the increasing failure to protect asylum seekers and uphold the rights of migrants was another reflection of the current defensive climate all over the EU.

He said that although Europe received fewer asylum requests than in previous years, governments reacted as if the opposite were true, introducing restrictive laws which fail to guarantee basic protection and sometimes using force to keep people out.

"What has been portrayed as an asylum crisis is really a protection crisis. Europe is not a welcoming continent for those fleeing persecution," Mr Oosting said.