On 26 and 27 March, an International Conference of the Campaign for the Release of the 'Three of El Hiblu' was held in Valletta. It was attended by people directly involved in the case, representatives of the foreign communities living in Malta, academics and intellectuals from all over Europe, religious representatives and representatives of local and international NGOs, civil fleet activists, including Sea Watch, Louise Michel and MEDITERRANEAN.
It was an important opportunity to reconstruct the legal case in which three young migrants (two of them minors at the time of the events) are accused of very serious crimes, the sole guilt of which is to have avoided deportation to Libya for themselves and for more than a hundred other shipwrecked people rescued by the Turkish-flagged merchant vessel.
Their situation is, unfortunately, an example of the countless violations of international law, of people's fundamental rights and of the most basic principles of human coexistence committed daily in the central Mediterranean by EU member states and institutions.
In particular, Malta, together with Italy, is one of the key places to intervene in the fight for freedom of movement and respect for the rights and dignity of each individual, due to its geographical position and the role its authorities have played in recent years in the humanitarian crisis at sea.
For this reason, MEDITERRANEANEA Saving Humans has joined the #FreeElHiblu3 campaign from the beginning and will continue to follow it (more information at https://elhiblu3.info ).
In the meantime, we are happy to publish here the article that the Times of Malta, the island's authoritative independent newspaper, dedicated to the international conference on 27 March.
The case of the three El Hiblu embodies everything that is wrong with the way non-white migrants are treated by Europe: an upside-down world in which brave mediators are called pirates while state authorities carry out acts of piracy at sea,' said Lorenzo Pezzani, co-director of Border Forensics.
But this case is also a powerful symbol of the resistance of migrants in the face of border violence. The Free El Hiblu 3 campaign is an example of how we can highlight their courage and listen to their extraordinary voices,' he added.
Pezzani is part of an international coalition of human rights defenders, academics and religious leaders calling for the release of Kader, Amara and Abdallah.
Members of this international committee joined local NGOs Moviment Graffitti, Aditus Foundation, Integra, Kopin and JRS for a two-day conference organised by the 'Free the El-Hiblu 3' campaign.
Neil Falzon, Director of Aditus, reminded the conference that it has been three years since the three young men were charged with terrorism and have been trapped in a complicated legal limbo ever since.
They may or may not spend the rest of their lives in prison. We remain hopeful in what is a confusing and extremely complex legal case,' he said.
The three young men themselves also spoke at the conference, recalling the moment they were separated from the group of people with whom they had left the shores of Libya in search of a better life.
Constant death threats
For Amara, life in Libya was marked by the constant threat of death, turning his dream of a better life into a nightmare.
He recalled how, after fleeing the North African country because he had no other option, he was rescued when he faced death again - this time at sea.
But those who fished him out of a sinking dinghy wanted to take him back to Libya, and it was only after they volunteered to mediate between the crew and the desperate asylum seekers that they were taken to Malta, a safe haven.
They separated us after 10 days
Young Abdallah recalled that once in Malta, the three were separated from the others and held in prison.
But I stayed strong because I was with my friends. But after 10 days they separated the three of us too.
I stayed in prison, all by myself. It was very difficult to be all alone. For months I wondered how I was going to get out.
One day I received a letter from the El Hiblu 3 campaign, telling me to be strong, that we were heroes and that they would support us. I regained the hope I had lost,' he recalls.
“Avevo 16 anni. Avevo perso la speranza. Non riuscivo a dormire”.
Kader explained that he and Amara had been separated from Abdallah and taken to a juvenile prison.
He recalled his initial state of confusion and helplessness:
We had arrived with at least 100 other people, but they separated the three of us. I could not understand why, as we had done nothing wrong. When I arrived in the prison, I was treated in a way I never expected to be treated in Europe. I was 16 years old. I lost hope. I could not sleep.
When he was released from prison after several months, he was told he could not go to school and had to find a job.
He eventually found a job in construction - a completely new field for him - but unfortunately he fell off a building site and broke his leg.
As well as not being paid for his work, he is still recovering from his injuries, which makes it even harder for him to find stable work, as he has to make regular visits to the hospital and sign the bail register at the police station.
What is the case of El Hiblu?
The case dates back to March 2019, when the merchant ship El Hiblu rescued 108 people from a dinghy in distress. Immediately, some migrants stayed on the dinghy, fearing they would be pushed back to Libya.
They are missing and presumed dead.
The El Hiblu had been ordered to take the people on board to Libya, an unsafe place, but on 28 March the ship entered Malta. The Maltese armed forces boarded the ship as it approached territorial waters, following rumours that the migrants had taken control of the ship and forced it to sail to Europe.
The young men - aged 15, 16 and 19 at the time - were arrested and charged with offences amounting to terrorist activity. They pleaded not guilty.
Amnesty International has since called for the charges to be dropped and highlighted the case in its annual Write for Rights campaign, which encourages people to write letters, sign petitions and organise events to demand justice for those who have been detained, attacked or disappeared.
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Photo: El Hiblu 3 campaign
Gardjola Gardens in Senglea: On one side the entrance to the harbour, on the other where the El Hiblu 1 docked after disembarking the 108 people rescued on 28 March 2019.
