UNHCR official refused access to migrants in hospital

The Armed Forces of Malta yesterday prevented the head of the legal unit of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees from visiting the illegal immigrants who were hospitalised after being injured during Thursday's incidents at Safi Barracks.

Michele Manca de Nissa told The Times that soldiers guarding the detainees did not allow him into MS2 ward when he turned up at St Luke's Hospital at around 12.30 p.m. yesterday.

"I turned up at hospital but the guards said nobody was allowed in," Mr Manca de Nissa said.

The UNHCR official said the soldiers called their superiors to see whether they could allow Mr Manca de Nissa into the ward, but to no avail.

"I must say, however, that I was allowed into Safi Barracks to see the other detainees. What happened yesterday though, is still very serious," Mr Manca de Nissa said.

On Thursday morning, illegal immigrants at Safi barracks staged a peaceful protest on the football pitch in Kirkop against their lengthy detention. After speaking to journalists, they sat on the ground and refused orders to return to their barracks.

Scores of soldiers approached the immigrants and beat them with truncheons. During the scuffle, which lasted for about 15 minutes, up to six soldiers in riot gear were seen beating an unarmed immigrant with truncheons.

Two soldiers and 27 detainees were hospitalised after the incident.

UNHCR officials in Rome visit Malta regularly to monitor the situation of asylum seekers in Malta, holding regular meetings with the government.

Mr Manca de Nissa's visit to Malta happened to start on Tuesday. He is expected to return to Rome today.

Meanwhile, four lawyers of the Jesuit Refugee Service - Michael Camilleri, Andrew Galea Debono, Sedrick Mifsud and Anne Marie Busuttil - told The Times the AFM refused to allow them to see their clients on Thursday evening. The lawyers, accompanied by JRS director Pierre Grech Marguerat, first asked to see the hospitalised immigrants at around 7.30 p.m.

Soldiers guarding the ward did not allow them in and sought the permission of their superiors.

"At one point, we even spoke to the Brigadier, who said we would not be allowed to see our clients until Saturday morning," Dr Mifsud said.

The lawyers objected, saying this was in breach of the detainees' fundamental right to be assisted by a lawyer.

The JRS lawyers said they turned up again at the hospital yesterday morning but they were still not allowed in, and were instructed to turn up at 3.45 p.m. when the official visiting hours of St Luke's start.

"We were finally allowed in together with a translator. But by that time, most of the immigrants had been discharged. That's what the AFM wanted. They were buying time," Dr Camilleri claimed. Fr Grech Marguerat was not let in.

The lawyers said that while they spoke to their clients, soldiers with notebooks took notes of the conversation. This outraged the lawyers who said this was in breach of confidentiality.

"It was unbelievable, even though it was not the fault of the soldiers taking notes. They were clearly following orders," Dr Busuttil said.

Contacted by The Times, Colonel Mario Schembri, the AFM official responsible for public relations, said the army would not comment as a judicial inquiry into Thursday's incidents was underway.

Meanwhile, medical sources at St Luke's Hospital said the hopsitalised immigrants have been diagnosed with fractured bones in their faces and arms.

The 10 who were kept under observation between Thursday and yesterday had lacero-contusions, or cuts, in their heads as a result of the beatings, the sources said.

Quoting medical records the sources said some immigrants had fractures in their upper jaw bones, which enclose the nose and the lower rims of the eye and holds the upper teeth, and in their forearm bones.

Six were released from hospital yesterday morning while two of the remaining four, who are from Ivory Coast, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and a Palestinian man, were expected to be discharged later in the evening.

One of the two who will remain in hospital is expected to be operated upon next week for facial injuries. The immigrants are being kept in the MS2 ward.