The riot by migrants at the Safi detention centre was not the appropriate platform to criticise the detention policy, the government said in reaction to comments made by voluntary organisations.

Describing Tuesday’s riot, in which a number of police officers and soldiers were injured, as “a regrettable incident”, the Home Affairs Ministry said yesterday it “could not but be condemned” by all stakeholders.

“The ministry... is confident that it enjoys the support of all stakeholders in the sector, be they international or local, in condemning violent behaviour, particularly considering that legitimate means are available for persons hosted at these centres to voice any disagreement with the authorities, including remedies at law in relation to the rejection of asylum applications.”

Various groups that work with migrants, including the UN refugee agency, have condemned the violence but also criticised the detention policy, which they say leads to unnecessary frustration.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees went as far as saying it was “not entirely surprised” by the riot given the conditions of detention.

Migrants can be detained for up to 18 months pending the outcome of their application for some form of status with the Refugee Commissioner.

The riot was sparked off by some of the migrants held at the Safi compound after they were notified that their application for international protection was definitively turned down.

However, the ministry defended the detention policy and the conditions in detention centres.

Acknowledging that not all stakeholders agreed with Malta’s detention policy, the ministry said this was necessary because the authorities did not have quick ways of verifying the identity of migrants who entered the country without documents. “Detention is not pursued by way of punishment in relation to illegal entry but rather to safeguard Malta’s internal security.”

The ministry said illegal migration posed very significant pressures on a small country with limited resources but, despite its limitations, Malta had in place “a fair and transparent” asylum system in line with its international and EU obligations.

It said several refurbishment projects were undertaken to improve conditions at the detention centres, including the total overhaul of the Hermes Block at Ħal Far.

Reacting to criticism that migrants in detention had nothing to do, a factor that contributed to their frustration, the ministry said the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers had launched an educational programme for detained migrants at the Ħal Far centre, which would “shortly” be extended to include the Safi compound.

It noted that the police and the army were constrained to use force to contain the riot but this was kept to the “minimum extent possible”.

Human rights group Aditus and the Pope John XXIII Peace Laboratory, which works with migrants, condemned the violence and expressed sympathy with the officers who were injured in the riot. Both also commented on the state of the detention centres and the frustration they caused.

Aditus chairman Neil Falzon criticised the “filthy, crammed and suffocating spaces” in which migrants were detained. He said the physical conditions in Safi centre were unacceptable and an arbitrary 18-month long detention “without any real possibility of legal challenge is an affront to human dignity”.

Dr Falzon said the men protesting on Tuesday and most other migrants detained this year were caught up in the Libyan war where their lives and security were in “real, serious and imminent danger”.

“In acknowledgement of their desperate attempts to remain alive, we pack them up in warehouses and forget they exist,” Dr Falzon said, urging the Maltese authorities not to ignore the appeals that were made during the Safi protest.

He called for inclusive dialogue with all stakeholders with a view of reviewing the relevant laws and policies.

Similar sentiments were expressed by the Peace Lab. It said it understood the hardship migrants were going through and the difficulties faced by officials responsible for law and order. The Peace Lab urged dialogue between migrants and the government to improve the ­conditions and offered to act as mediator.