Overseas divorce recognition ‘discriminatory’

Malta’s existing legislation wh-ich recognises divorces obtained overseas is discriminatory, Alternattiva Demokratika said yesterday.

“Laws in Malta recognise divorce obtained in all other countries in the world, including those by Maltese,” party chairman Michael Briguglio told a news conference held in front of the courts in Valletta, but only those able to afford a divorce overseas could do so.

Mr Briguglio said the right to divorce should not only be enjoyed by the rich and yet nobody from the anti-divorce movement had ever spoken against this discrimination, which has been in place since 1975, he said.

Yvonne Arqueros Ebejer, civil rights spokesman, queried why anti-divorce Maltese politicians, political parties and the Church were silent about divorces ob-tained abroad and registered in the public registry but campaigned against introducing divorce laws in Malta.

“If something is considered immoral and wrong, why should it be accepted from a foreign country or if obtained by a small number of people?” she said.