The African Media Association Malta has questioned whether Black communities in Malta are adequately protected against racist violence following the acquittal of former soldier Lorin Scicluna in the murder of Lassana Cisse, calling on authorities to address the fears raised by the verdict.

In a statement endorsed by several civil society organisations, the association said the acquittal had revived the fear experienced by Black people following Cisse's killing in April 2019.

Cisse, a 42-year-old Ivorian father of two, was shot dead while walking home in Malta on April 6, 2019. Two other African men were shot and injured during the same evening.

The association said Cisse had not known his attackers and had done nothing to provoke them. The arrest of two Armed Forces of Malta soldiers weeks later had raised the possibility that he had been killed because of his skin colour.

It recalled the condemnation expressed by Malta's political leaders at the time, including then Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and President George Vella, who had warned against hatred, racism and xenophobia.

"Seven years later, that fear has returned," the statement said.

On November 1, 2026, a jury acquitted Scicluna of Cisse's murder and the attempted murders of three other African men. He was convicted of grievously injuring one of them and driving without registration plates.

The association said it respected the independence of the judiciary and the principle that guilt must be proven beyond reasonable doubt, while noting that separate proceedings against Francesco Fenech remain pending.

However, it highlighted testimony in which Scicluna admitted that he and his companions used to drive around Hal Far looking for Black people to harass.

The association said the evidence pointed to a pattern of intimidation and violence against people who had done nothing to their attackers, raising concerns extending beyond the trial's outcome.

It also questioned the effectiveness of measures introduced following Cisse's murder.

In October 2019, a dedicated Hate Crime and Speech Unit was established to support victims of racially motivated offences and other forms of hatred.

One of the association's members had supported survivors Mohammed Jallow, Ibrahim Bah and May Malimi, accompanying them to the unit in Valletta.

The statement noted that the unit was subsequently absorbed into the Victim Support Agency. It also referred to the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance's 2026 report on Malta, which expressed concern that the reorganisation had removed the unit's explicit responsibility for collecting hate-crime data.

The association called for a dedicated mechanism to be restored and for hate-crime statistics to be regularly published.

It further questioned the transparency of an internal AFM inquiry launched in 2019 to examine whether the alleged conduct of the soldiers reflected wider racism within the military.

The inquiry, based on interviews with nearly 300 personnel, reportedly found no evidence of racial hatred or intolerance. However, its full report was never made public.

The association asked whether recommendations for additional screening, education and specialised training had been fully implemented.

"We are not asking for special protection. We are asking for the same protection, dignity and security that every other person in Malta is entitled to expect," it said.

It called on political leaders, law enforcement agencies and public authorities to address racist violence with seriousness and transparency, while ensuring that Cisse's memory does not fade.

"Lassan Cisse was a human being. A father. A member of our community. His death must never become just another closed chapter in Malta's history," the statement said.

The statement was endorsed by organisations including Aditus Foundation, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, Kopin, Moviment Graffitti, Repubblika, the Migrants Commission of the Archdiocese of Malta, the Institute of Maltese Journalists and the Women's Rights Foundation, among others.