Brussels asks Malta about March Safi incidents

The Maltese authorities have been asked to provide more information to the European Commission on the investigations conducted following clashes last March between illegal immigrants and officials at the Safi detention facility.

An inquiry report, drawn up by Martin Scicluna last May investigating allegations of beatings of immigrants, had found that the detention authorities had used excessive force.

Italian MEP Giusto Catania, who is in favour of abolishing detention centres across Europe, raised the incident at the European Parliament through a parliamentary question.

European Commissioner Jacques Barrot said that the Commission does not have the necessary information at hand to pass any comments on these violent incidents but promised the Italian MEP that the Commission would look into the issue closely.

Mr Catania informed his fellow MEPs that on March 24, a number of migrants at the Safi Barracks were victims of violence and were ill-treated by guards. He said that according to a number of witnesses, the Maltese police evacuated a wing of the Safi Barracks centre - because the migrants had held a protest on March 13 - and separated them from the group of 13 migrants who were thought to be among the organisers.

"The 13 migrants were kept in isolation for several hours. They were subjected to physical and verbal violence, handcuffed and were even, allegedly, denied food throughout the whole period of detention. "Does the Commission take the view that the behaviour of the police towards the migrants ran counter to the standards of protection of human rights, the dignity of the person and the rights of migrants recognised at international and European level?" he asked. "Does it take the view that the actions criticised by the inquiry could be a consequence of the widespread Maltese practice of systematic detention of migrants? Could it make representations to the Maltese government with a view to ensuring that such events do not happen again?"