Sitting on a makeshift bed outside the law courts in Valletta, Egyptian national Ashraf El Bakri has been on a hunger strike since Saturday.

He is determined not to move from where he is until the authorities listen to what he has to say - he wants his two sons back and he wants his human rights to be safeguarded.

By his side, one of three billboards reads: "I am doing a strike and suffer hunger to get back my children and my rights from the insurance and government."

As people gathered around him to read the boards and see the collage of carefully captioned family photographs, Mr El Bakri, who is married to a Maltese woman, explained how on June 2 last year, the authorities seized one of his two sons from school and from his custody.

A few days later, he and his other son were prevented from leaving Malta for Egypt and, some time later, that son was also seized from his care. The two boys, who are not the children of the Maltese wife, are aged 10 and 14 and have been placed under a care order, he said.

With the Koran by his side and wearing a suit and coat under a blanket, Mr El Bakri explained how he has been in Malta for 10 years and had come here as a businessman.

During his stay he was involved in a traffic accident that left him with a permanent disability and the authorities, he claimed, have prevented him from vindicating his rights to compensation against third parties.

All this has been laid before a court when, earlier this month, he filed a constitutional application in his name and in the name of his two minor sons. The application was filed against the Prime Minister and six ministers claiming that "on various occasions and in a continuous manner" they had "exposed him to inhuman and degrading treatment".

In the application he claimed that, without any valid reason, the authorities withdrew his freedom of movement which had been issued to him as a director of a Maltese registered company and as a person married to a Maltese woman. Besides, as a person with a disability following the traffic accident he was also denied social assistance while deprived of the right to work legally. All this, he claimed, was in breach of his fundamental human rights.

Now, since Saturday, he had been stationed outside the law courts to ensure that festive shoppers swarming into Valletta learn about his situation. His message to the public reads: "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone. My children are kept in Malta against their own will from 02/06/04 without any reason and their parents are Egyptians.

"Who can resist not to see his children for 20 months?... Protect childhood and fatherhood rights. We have to stop any action leading to separate and destroy family...

"I just want my right as a human being and be compensated for the disability."

Late last night Mr El Bakri was still by the law courts with people still milling around him. "Nobody has talked to me yet about my case.

"How can it be that I haven't been able to spend Christmas with my children and instead have spent it with dogs and cats?

"The Maltese and even foreigners have been most helpful with words of sympathy and courage. I want the President to look into my case and I need the services of a human rights lawyer," he said lying down and clutching worry beads.