UNHCR condemns media ban

The United Nations refugee agency has condemned the government's stand to bar the media from detention centres, describing it as a "short-sighted" and "very worrying" decision.

"It's bad enough that Malta has the most draconian detention policy in the EU but the least your government could do is to allow the media to prove that these people are victims - not criminals," UNHCR spokesman Laura Boldrini told The Times.

She was speaking following the response of Home Affairs Minister Tonio Borg to a petition signed by Maltese journalists who protested that the government's policy of refusing all requests for access to the media was shackling them from fulfilling their duties.

Dr Borg said on Monday he was not aware of any other country which gave unrestricted access to the media to detention centres, though he noted that there were plans for guidelines on where such visits may be made in extraordinary cases.

The UNHCR said the government's decision to keep the media out was doing nothing more than isolating asylum seekers further.

Ms Boldrini said that asylum seekers in other countries were not kept in detention and were instead, for a very short period, put in temporary holding centres, freely accessible to all media.

"The UNHCR still maintains that asylum seekers should not be kept in detention unless they've done something extraordinary. It's unfair and it's creating anxiety among them," she said.

"It was essential for the public to realise and understand the state of these people. The policy adopted by the government is making people believe they're criminals."

The media can play an important role in getting to know asylum seekers and showing the country that they were often fleeing wars and persecution.

The government does not seem to realise either that the media can even help fight misconceptions and racism in the process, Ms Boldrini said.

"Where such matters are concerned, the media could be the best actors. It's a lost opportunity."