The family of Lassana Cisse, the victim of a racially-motivated murder three years ago today, have pleaded with the authorities to send his body back home in the Ivory Coast.
The plea, also made several times in the past few months, was repeated at a commemoration outside the law courts in Valletta.
Cisse was gunned down in Hal Far in the evening of April 6, 2019 as he returned from work.
Dozens of people called for justice and an end to racism faced by black people.
Ousmane Dicko, who is in contact with Cisse’s family in the Ivory Coast, said they have been working fruitlessly to have the body returned to his loved ones, but they have come up against a wall of bureaucratic issues and rigid COVID-19 restrictions.
“Three years is not two days,” Dicko said. “We have tried every avenue but still we are without answers. I’m calling on the Maltese government and the prime minister to please try their best to help us. Lassana’s family are still waiting for him.”
Cisse was shot dead in a drive-by shooting. Two other men, Ibrahim Bah and Mohammed Jallow, were injured.
Two young former soldiers, Francesco Fenech and Lorin Scicluna stand accused of Cisse’s murder, the attempted murder of Bah and Jallow as well as the attempted murder of May Malimi, a teen from Chad who was hit by a car and left bleeding on the side of the road. They have pleaded not guilty.
'This was a terrorist attack'
“This was a terrorist attack meant to instill terror in our own community,” Moviment Graffitti Activist Christine Cassar said.
“The two AFM soldiers who allegedly shot Lassana probably did so because they thought they could get away with it. Their self-confidence was fueled by years of political rhetoric which suggests that foreigners may be treated as inferior people.”
She added that Cisse’s murder must be seen as the culmination of systemic and institutionalised racism at every level of society, including within the military, healthcare, employment, housing and education. This did not happen in a vacuum, and inflammatory political discourse has fanned the flames of racial prejudice.
“It is important for the government to stress that racism and prejudice will not be tolerated. Only then will we start seeing real change in the public and private sectors,” Cassar continued.
“The urgency of the problem requires Prime Minister Robert Abela to be aware of the messages his government is disseminating. It is his responsibility to use his authority to exert positive influence and lead by example. We urge him to foster a nation where Maltese people and foreigners may live peacefully side by side, irrespective of religion, nationality and/or skin colour.”
Cassar likewise urged authorities to release Cisse’s body to his family in the Ivory Coast, saying it was “appalling” that this had still not been done three years after his death.
University student Claira Cutajar, who also spoke at the event, said that what happened to Lassana reflected a wider attitude in society that regarded the lives of migrants as less than others.
“I look at my surroundings in fear because I can still see people who are indifferent to the injustice that thousands of people in our country are experiencing,” she said.
“I don’t want to live in a society where groups of people are terrorised, where people like you and I are afraid to walk in the street because of the colour of their skin.”
“I want to live in a country where institutionalised racism is toppled and where hatred does not rule. I want to live in a world where racism is addressed and not allowed to go on unfettered. How many people need to die before we take action.”
She appealed to students and youth not to remain indifferent to racism and to raise their voices and not remain silent about injustice.
Regine Psaila from the African Media Association pointed out that while Lassana’s body is being kept in a mortuary, the men accused of his murder are walking free on bail.
“We all know that if this incident had involved three white people with blonde hair and blue eyes the story would be totally different,” she said.
“Lassana’s family deserves to have his body and mourn him with dignity.”
The anniversary of Cisse’s murder appeared to have gone unnoticed by most of the political sphere, with only ADPD candidates and former junior minister for equality Rosianne Cutajar commemorating Cisse publicly on Wednesday.
The organisations supporting the commemoration were the aditus foundation, African Media Association Malta, Allied Rainbow Communities, Anti-Poverty Forum Malta, Association for Justice, Equality and Peace, Blue Door English, Caritas Malta, Fondazzjoni Sebh, Humanists Malta, Intera Foundation, Kopin, LGBTI+ Gozo, Malta House of Prayer, MGRM, Migrant Women Association, Movement Graffitti, Repubblika, Richmond Foundation, SOS Malta, St Jeanne Antide Foundation, The Critical Institute, The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, the ElHiblu3 campaign and the Justice and Peace Commission.