A demonstration was held in front of the Law Courts in Valletta on Saturday to demand that the “unjust charges against the El Hiblu 3 are dropped”.

On 28 March 2019, three youngsters aged 15, 16 and 19, known as the El Hiblu 3, first set foot in Malta. They were among a group of migrants who fled Libya on a rubber boat. At risk of drowning, 108 people were rescued by the crew of the cargo ship El Hiblu 1.  The crew sought to return the rescued migrants to Libya. The migrants, according to the activists, protested their return and convinced the crew of El Hiblu 1 to steer north, to Malta.

During the protest nobody was hurt and nothing was damaged, the activists said. Yet the three African teenagers were arrested upon arrival and detained for 7 months. Now before a Maltese court, the El Hiblu 3 face serious charges of terrorism and could, if convicted, spend many years in prison.

Another court hearing is set for Tuesday.

Addressing the gathering, Christine Cassar (Moviment Graffitti), said that these youngsters have had their life put on hold for four years. Why is the State bullying them, she asked, when all they did was keep the migrants on the El Hiblu from being returned to Libya where people were tortured?

Regine Psiala, from the African Media Association, said the press conference was intended “ to raise our voices against the injustice being done to three young men who are being unfairly punished for standing up for what is right. “These men face life imprisonment simply because they dared to resist pushback at sea, an illegal practice that is happening in broad daylight, with the blessings of the European Union,” she said.

It’s a shame that in today's world, people who try to uphold basic human rights are being punished for it. These three men are heroes, not criminals. They acted in defence of the human rights of others, and now they are being punished for it, she said.

“We must demand that the charges against these young men be dropped immediately. We must demand justice for them and for all those who are being persecuted for standing up for human rights. We cannot let this injustice continue,” she said.

Cetta Mainwaring, from the Free the El Hiblu 3 Campaign, said that the three youngsters acted as translators and mediators between a scared crew and scared passengers. When the tanker attempted to return them to Libya – people were terrified and threatened to jump overboard rather than be returned to the violence they had just fled in Libya.

“That the charges against them are unjust could not be clearer. These three young men should be free to live dignified lives,” she said.

“Translators are not terrorists,” she said. “Resisting pushbacks to Libya is not a crime.”