Veröffentlichung einer Rundmail der ElHiblu3-Freedom Commission vom 21.10.21:
Dear Friends and Comrades, (some of you might get this mail repeatedly now, sorry for that)
We are happy to announce the launching of the new ElHiblu3 Freedom Commission. The commission is a diverse and independent alliance of human rights advocates, scholars, and religious leaders to urge the Maltese authorities to immediately dismiss the trial against the #ElHiblu3.
https://twitter.com/ElHiblu3/status/1451110845518393348?s=20
In a coalition of activists, legal partners, and human rights advocates, the “ Free the El Hiblu 3-Campaign“ has been highlighting the injustice of the trial and demanding the freedom for three teenagers who stand trial in Malta since March 2019. With the foundation of the commission, we aim to become a yet stronger voice against the unjust proceedings against the #ElHiblu3 in Malta.
The three, together with over 100 others, had tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea on a precarious boat. After being rescued by the merchant vessel ElHiblu1, they faced an illegal push-back to Libya. Eventually, they succeeded in resisting their forced return and were disembarked in Malta. The three teenagers, who had acted as mediators between crew and the migrant group, were arrested and continue to face terrorism charges.
The ElHiblu3’s lives have been on hold. They have been imprisoned in Malta for seven months and they fear to be imprisoned again. It is about time that they can live their lives in freedom.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson Shamdasani has appealed to the Maltese authorities to reconsider the charges against the three teenagers already in 2019. In March 2020, we launched our documentation of the case and campaign (see our website: elhiblu3.info). Afterwards, Amnesty International launched a write4rights-campaign that received attention world-wide.
In March 2021, on the second anniversary of the ElHiblu3’s arrival in Malta, we were able to generate significant international attention and support, including:
- A letter of 26 MEPs addressed to the Attorney General of Malta, demanding a termination of the proceedings
- A statement by the European Democratic Lawyers signed by 21 international legal associations
- A press release from the Migrants Commission, JRS Malta and the Justice and Peace Commission
- NGOs statement, requesting the immediate termination of prosecuting the #ElHiblu3 signed by 29 international Human Rights Groups
and had reports in DER SPIEGEL, BBC, Aljazeera (https://elhiblu3.info/press)
with <3 & solidarity,
Jelka, Maurice, Hagen, Marie, Dominik and the ElHiblu3-Campaign