Activists gathered on the doorstep of the law courts to call on authorities to drop the "inhumane" charges against three young men involved in the El Hiblu sage, after the Attorney General went on to file a bill of indictment.
On a rainy Saturday, activists held a banner that read 'Free the El Hiblu 3', while others tied their hands together with red pieces of cloth.
Amara Kromah, Abdul Kader and Abdalla Bari are accused of hijacking an oil tanker when they were 15, 16 and 19 years old. They are set to go to trial for terrorism, among other charges and could face life sentences if found guilty.
Kader has been missing since summer and is believed to have fled Malta. If located, he will be brought to Malta to stand trial alongside the other two.
However, the three accused deny the charges and say they were just serving as translators for others aboard the ship, as they spoke English and could communicate with the captain.
The case has received widespread international attention, including Amnesty International, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and an international coalition of human rights advocates, scholars and religious leaders.
In Malta, former president Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca has described the case as a "farce", and Archbishop Charles Scicluna has said charges should be dropped.
On Saturday morning, activist group Moviment Graffitti called on Malta's Attorney General to "end the injustice" and dismiss all the charges".
They said that the three acted as translators and managed to defuse a tense situation on the El Hiblu 1, the ship that had rescued them.
"Instead of celebrating the courage of these youngsters, the Maltese authorities charged them unfairly. These young men have had to endure ongoing delays and dehumanising restrictions, preventing them from leading a normal life," Moviment Graffitti said in a statement read by activist Mark Farrugia.
"On November 8, the bill of indictment and respective charges against the El Hiblu 3 were issued. These charges are inhumane and unjust," the statement said.
Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer joined the activists, saying it was the efforts of the three men charged that prevented another tragedy at sea.
"These three youngsters are being charged over terrorism when all they did was basically calm down the situation on the vessel and managed to redivert the vessel to Europe," Engerer said.
He said the people on board knew what going back to Libya meant.
"Immigrants in Libya are tortured, women and other people are raped, many are killed, and others are robbed of any possessions they have," he said.
"When you know you might be returned to being tortured, you would be ready to do anything to avoid returning to that," Engerer said.
He appealed to authorities to drop the charges against the three youths, adding that two of the three were underage when this happened.
"We should celebrate the courage they had because, thanks to them, we did not have a situation where we ended up holding a ceremony for 100 lives that would have probably lost their lives in the sea," he said.