NGOs push for regular access to detention centres following CoE report
Report found progress in healthcare provision but flagged significant failings
A Council of Europe report into Malta’s detention facilities validates long-standing calls to reform Malta’s policies and practices, two NGOs that work in the sector have said.
Aditus and JRS Malta said the report “paints a troubling picture of the conditions in immigration detention centres.”
Assessors from the Council of Europe’s European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) based their assessment on visits conducted in 2023.
They found that many detainees had inadequate access to medical care and legal assistance and often had nothing meaningful to do. In some cases, there were reports that inmates were mistreated by staff.
Aditus and JRS said those latter allegations – involving the use of force and means of restraint - were especially concerning, given the lack of information being given to detainees about their legal rights.
At the same time, the NGOs noted that there were also positive developments.
Aditus director Neil Falzon noted that the provision of healthcare services in detention has improved, and that the CPT had found that there were efforts to further improve medical staffing levels and access to mental and physical healthcare.
“These changes, though still in need of further development, represent a step in the right direction and show that progress is possible when there is political will and a commitment to upholding basic human rights,” the NGOs said.
They urged authorities to implement the committee recommendations and establish a framework to guarantee access to detention facilities by independent monitoring bodies, including NGOs.
The CPT report, they said, was further evidence of how important it is to have NGOs regularly present within detention centres.
“We have repeatedly called for regular, unhindered access to these facilities, not only to provide legal and psychosocial support to detainees but also to ensure that the fundamental rights and dignity of every person in detention are respected,” the NGOsa said.
JRS Director Katrin Camilleri went further.
“Transparent oversight and access for NGOs are not optional — they are essential safeguards in any democratic society that claims to uphold human rights,” she said.