Solidarity Protest, January 2025

Today, on 22 January 2025, another hearing of the case of the El Hiblu 3 took place. At the last hearing, the EH3’s lawyers made compelling arguments during previous oral submissions to demonstrate that some of the charges could not stand since they took place outside the jurisdiction of Malta. After today’s hearing, the court case goes on and will likely proceed to a trial by jury. The 2,127 days that Amara, Abdalla and Kader have withstood, unjustly criminalised and in limbo, will extend further.

Today, the Coalition for the El Hiblu 3 held a press conference following the hearing to mark the 2,127 days that the El HIblu 3 have been criminalised and in limbo. They have withstood a politically-motivated travesty of justice for nearly six years. These three young men saved lives and prevented an illegal pushback to Libya. They are human rights defenders and should not be punished. We stand in solidarity with Abdalla, Amara and Kader who should be celebrated as heroes, not persecuted as criminals! Our call and indignation remain: the charges should be dropped!

Speakers included Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, Emeritus President of Malta, President of the Mediterranean Children’s Movement, and President of Eurochild; Regine Psaila, President of African Media Association; Prof. Maria Pisani; William Grech, Director of Kopin. The press conference was hosted by Prof. Daniela DeBono from the Coalition for the El Hiblu 3.

Prof. Daniela DeBono

Illum qeghdin hawn ghal darb’ohra biex insostnu is-solidarjeta’ taghna ma Amara u Abdalla. Qed infakkru il 2127 gurnata minn mindu gew akkuzati ingustament. Minn meta beda il-martirju taghhom.

Ghalfejn? Ghalfejn dawn iz-zghazagh ta’ 15, 17 u 18-il sena kellhom jghaddu minn dan kollu. Nistiedinkom isaqsu din il-mistoqsija. U tfittxu it-twegibiet.

Minn hawn indirizza lill-gvern, b’mod partikolari lill-Avukati Generali: Mhux f’isimna qed taghmlu dawk l-aaarijiet. Ahna ma rridux pajjiz li jkasbar liz-zghir – u zghir f’kull sens tal- kelma – dawn tfal huma!

Kuragg Amara. Kuragg Abdalla. Il-verita’ titla f’wicc l-ilma. Il-gustizzja hekk titlob.

Free translation: We are today here, once again, to stand in solidarity with Amara and Abdalla. We are marking the 2127 day since they were unjustly charged by the Maltese authorities, from when their martyrdom started. Why?? Why did these young people of 15,17,18 years of age have to pass through all this??! I invite you, present here, to ask this question. And to search for the answers. From here I want to directly address the government, in particular, the Attorney General: These are actions that are taken “not in our name!”. We do not want a country that hurts the most vulnerable, children. Courage dear Amara, Courage dear Abdalla. The truth will come out. Justice will prevail!

We include their speeches (in full and as extracts) below.

William Grech, Director KOPIN

In 2 months’ time, it will have been 6 years since Abdalla, Amara and Kader were arrested upon their arrival in Malta. At the time they were 15, 16 and 18 years old. The whole process was lengthy from the start. They had to wait seven months to be released on bail and five years later the eventual trial is still to start!

In our demands for justice to be made with Abdalla, Amara and Kader, we remind everyone that they are living in a legal limbo for far too long. They try to live a normal life, however their lives continue to be disrupted almost every month. We demand that the wrongful charges are dropped. It is never too late to right a grave injustice.

Prof. Maria Pisani

At some point in your life, you may have been forced to wait, knowing that your future, your life, rests in someone else’s hands. We can perhaps all relate to the sense of helplessness, and fear, as time is suspended and filled with uncertainty. Almost 6 years on, these young men continue to wait, it is a predicament, a torture they do not deserve. We will continue to support them in their fight for justice.

Ms Regine Psaila

They say hope springs eternal. Provided it’s not too anorexic, in my opinion. For hope to be life-giving, it would have to be fat, well-fed, obese even.

This kind of hope often looks like resignation, but it’s not. Imagine a terminally ill cancer patient with a smile on his face, comforting his distraught family. We wonder where this person finds the strength. We don’t know. Only the person knows. It’s a mystery with a force capable of moving mountains.

When you’re young and you know you’ve got your future ahead of you, you don’t often need to worry too much, because you live your life as best you can. But when you’re young, and you think your future is stuck, because an unfortunate lawsuit obscures the horizon, that is where that kind of hope comes in. A hope that moves mountains.

I want to tell Amara Kader and Abdallah that the mountains are here. All the people here, all the actions taken so far, and the actions to come, all the prayers, all the messages of support are gradually helping to push towards positive justice.

Hope is here. It is fat, well-fed, obese even. Our fight goes on.

Mr Hagen Kopp, Alarmphone

At WatchTheMed-Alarmphone we regularly experience illegal pushbacks. Illegal pushbacks by our own European governments. Detention centres in Libya are hell! We cannot send people back to there. Our three friends, Abdalla, Amara and Kader, helped to prevent an illegal pushback – their actions should be celebrated and not criminalised!

Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, Emeritus President of Malta, President of the Mediterranean Children’s Movement, and President of Eurochild

Qeghda hawn ghal darb’ohra mhux biss bhala Omm u Cittadina ta’ dan il-pajjiz, izda wkoll fil- kariga ta’ President tal-Moviment tat-Tfal tal-Mediterran, u ta’ Eurochild li huwa l-akbar network ta’ organizazzjonijiet fl-Ewropa kollha, li lkoll huma difensuri tad-drittijiet umani tat-Tfal.

Il-każ tat-tlett zghazagh, maghrufa bhala ta’ l-El Hiblu, dak iz-zmien, meta gew akkuzati kienu ghadhom fl-eta’ tenera tat-tfulija. Illum, kompla ‘l kaz taghhom gewwa l-Qorti.

U allura ergajna qeghdin hawn quddiem il-Qrati ta’ Malta, ghaliex nemmnu bis-shih fl-innocenza ta’ dawn it-tlett zghazagh.

Amara, Abdalla u Kader ilhom jiOaccjaw akkuzi ingusti ghal 2,127 jum. Ghal 5 snin, 9 xhur u 26 gurnata gew michuda mit-tfulija u miz-zghozija taghhom.

Tfulithom u Zghozithom gew misruqa!

Ghalhekk, aħna ergajna gejna hawn, ghaliex se nibqgħu nitolbu li l-akkużi kontra Amara, Abdalla, u Kader jiġu irtirati.

Dawn iz-zghazagh m’ghandhomx Familja biex tappoggjahom, jew tharishom gewwa pajjizna. Izda ghandhom lilna li se nibqghu nsostnu l-innocenza taghhom sakemm jinhelsu.

Amara, Abdalla u Kader huma zghazagh li salvaw il-hajjiet.

Dawn huma zghazagh li ghax kienu jafu jitkellmu bl-Ingliz u gew mitluba biex jitraducu, spiccaw akkuzati b’atti kriminali mill-aghar.

Ma jitwemmnux!

U ta’ dan hemm hafna xhieda!

Flok iccelebrajna l-kuragg ta’ tlett itfal, bhala difensuri tad-drittijiet umani, ghax salvaw tant nies, u għenu biex tiġi evitata push back lejn kampijiet ta’ detenzjoni, li sahansitra anke l-Papa Frangisku jiddeskrivi bhala kampijiet nazisti, akkuzajniehom b’atti kriminali serjissimi.

Kif jista’ jkun li ghax tinqabad f’cirkostanza ta’ hajja jew mewt u ghax tkun taf titkellem bl-Ingliz u tinterpreta x’qed jghid haddiehor tigi akkuzat b’terrorizmu.

Tassew ma jitwemmnux dawn l-istejjer tal-biza!

Is-sabiha hi, li ghax gew mitluba jaghmluha ta’ medjaturi u tradutturi, fejn għenu biex jikkalmaw sitwazzjoni ta’ tensjoni kbira f’nofs ta’ bahar, mhux biss gew akkuzati innocentament, izda wkoll sraqnilhom id-drittijiet umani taghhom, ghaliex minkejja li kienu fl-eta’ tat-tfulija, gew mitfugha l- habs ghal hafna xhur.

Flok fahharna l-kuragg – ikkriminalizzajniehom u kkastigajniehom, bla htija.

Tfuliethom gie mahsuda hesrem u zghozithom misruqa u l-aspirazzjonijiet taghhom ghal hajja ahjar taru mar-rih!

Hajjithom flok gawdewha kif jixraq lil kull zghazagh u zghazugha, giet mahtufa u imkassbra!

Aħna qeghdin hawn biex nitolbu li l-awtoritajiet jerfgħu r-responsabbiltà għal dawn l-azzjonijiet inumani.

Nergghu nishqu li ghandhom jitwaqqgħu dawn l-akkuzi u jehilsu lil dawn it-tlett zghazagh innocenti!

F’każijiet bħal dawn, fejn iż-żgħażagħ jew it-tfal jitpoġġew f’sitwazzjonijiet ta’ tensjoni u inġustizzja, huwa dmir ta’ kull soċjetà ċivili li tiżgura li l-ħarsien tad-drittijiet fundamentali tagħhom jiġi prijoritizzat.

Il-każ tal-El Hiblu 3 huwa eżempju ċar ta’ kif in-nuqqas ta’ rispett lejn id-dinjità umana, u l-prinċipji tal-ġustizzja jistgħu jirriżultaw f’ħajjiet meqruda.

Il-hajja tat-tfal u taz-zghazagh ma tinqeridx bil-bombi tal-gwerra biss, izda wkoll meta nisirqulhom hajjithom u l-aspirazzjonijiet taghhom.

It-tfal u ż-żgħażagħ huma l-prezent ta’ kull socjeta’, u dak li jigri llum jeOettwa il-futur taghhom u tagħna bil-kbir.

Lit-tfal u liz-zghazagh, jeħtieġ li naghtuhom il-ħarsien u l-protezzjoni taghna – kemm jekk fuq il- baħar, kemm jekk f’żoni ta’ kunflitt, jew fl-oqsma legali fi kwalunkwe ġurisdizzjoni.

Hemm bżonn li nippromwovu kultura ta’ ġustizzja, solidarjetà, u responsabbiltà globali.

Jiena se nibqa’ niddefendi lil Amara, Kader u Abdala sakemm jigu mehlusa!

Inwieghed ukoll li se nibqa’ niddefendi d-drittijiet umani tat-tfal kollha huma, min huma, gejjin minn fejn gejjin.