Migrants make appeal over length of detention

The irregular immigrants cooped up in Malta's centres have called upon the authorities to realise that detention is a "continuation" of the suffering that forced them to flee their country in the first place.

The concerns of the detainees at the Hal-Far, Safi and Floriana detention centres were aired during the national immigration conference, which was marked by a clash between the Red Cross and the armed forces over the soldiers' behaviour at the camps.

A letter from the migrants, distributed to the media via the Jesuit Refugee Service, described the 18-month maximum detention as so long that it was no different from a prison sentence.

"We fled the dangers in search of safety and fell into an unequally hard situation in the place where we are seeking refuge," they wrote.

If it were necessary to retain the detention policy, then it should not exceed two months and even so, not be applied across the board, they argued.

The immigrants said they wanted to put their time at the detention centres to good use and expressed their wish to learn a language or a skill.

They asked for legal assistance for the initial stages of the asylum proceedings and claimed that there were many problems with the appeals procedure, which seemed to be of limited duration.

"The appeal procedure is little more than a formality, something which never really makes a difference... Although we are entitled to legal aid, so far we have never received this service," they wrote.

"We wish that the Maltese public be given the opportunity to see us in a more positive light."

Katherine Camilleri, the JRS's legal representative, said it was worrying that irregular immigrants were often being portrayed as violent.

One refugee said that talented and skilled people, such as engineers and journalists, were among the detainees at Safi barracks and Floriana and that the detention policy was doing nothing more than demoralising them and driving them insane.

"It's not fair that detainees at Safi barracks are always told to go back to their country - people who say these things are not aware what's happening in their country," another refugee charged.

Antoinette Zammit from the Red Cross spoke of the "fear" among detainees at Safi Barracks.

"Let us be truthful. Soldiers have told us to beware and not to stick up for them. The detainees are being harassed," she charged.

Red Cross director Paul Portelli said the fact that the government was continuously speaking about the costs of irregular migration could indirectly fuel racism.

Soldiers were blaming the immigrants for their poor working conditions and they were abusing them verbally and physically, Mr Portelli said, a claim which prompted protests from AFM commander Carmel Vassallo.

Brigadier Vassallo called on Mr Portelli to substantiate his claim and challenged him to mention one incident before the infamous January 13 clashes at Safi where any detainee was injured by any member of the AFM.

"What one should mention though is a clash between the immigrants themselves last October, where 15 detainees had to be taken to hospital," the AFM commander said.

While expressing his readiness to meet any NGO that has a complaint about the forces, Brigadier Vassallo called upon the public to realise that the AFM cannot perform miracles.

An army major said commotion was triggered off whenever the NGOs gave the immigrants clothes - a procedure which often resulted in clashes and sometimes hospitalisation.