In a statement issued yesterday by the Department of Information, Justice and Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg insisted that two years ago, when these people were deported, every claim for protection, or for the granting of a refugee or humanitarian status, was scrutinised accordingly.

Nobody had been deported before his claim was examined.

Amnesty International requested that all claims should be seen before repatriation, something which the government did, the DOI said.

The UNHCR knew that the deportation was going to take place, and in seven months the government received no directive to stop the deportation.

The government had nothing to hide on this and believes that all organisations, including the Refugees Commissioner and the Appeals Board have acted correctly.

The DOI said that Magistrate Lofaro has been asked to carry out an investigation to establish whether the deportation of the Eritreans was done according to the law and if there was any illicit pressure from persons or authorities for the deportation to take place.