I refer to the article entitled A right to fair trial for detainees – AD (TMID, 28 July).

There are many people, both local and foreign, who are not treated justly on our island. The right of many children to a happy childhood is crushed by very lenient court sentences given to child abusers. Many women who have been sexually assaulted or raped are also being humiliated by similarly lenient court sentences.

I therefore advise Alternattiva Demokratika to concentrate their efforts on these people, who are really the true victims of unjust circumstances.

It is a known fact that some “suspect” irregular immigrants live together with genuine refugees who are accommodated in either detention or in open centres. Most probably, precautions are only taken when the Armed Forces of Malta personnel feel that it would be safer to separate, at least for a few hours, the “trouble-makers” from others.

Another valid reason could be the fact that people from various African tribes, which do not mix well with each other in their vast homeland of Africa, are forced to live together in an enclosure of only a few hundred square metres.

Both AD and the UNHCR have to consider our national resources before they criticise the AFM for the way they are taking care of these immigrants.

Joanne Micallef

Sliema