Sixteen non-governmental organisation have called on the European Commission not to respond to the government’s call to look into bypassing, waiving or otherwise ignoring the principle of non-refoulement.

This, they said in a joint statement, was this fundamental principle that, for centuries, protected the lives of millions of refugees.

“Setting it aside would effectively sign the death sentence for all those people who continue to run away from their homes in search of safety.”

Earlier this week, the Times of Malta, the Malta Independent and Malta took a joint stand to call on the government to review Malta’s arbitrary system of Temporary Humanitarian Protection, which has effectively put the lives of hundreds of migrants in limbo.

Enshrined in the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees and a host of other human rights instruments, the rule strictly prohibits states from returning refugees to places where their lives are threatened on account of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion and membership of a particular social group.

It protects persons from being sent to countries where they would face serious human rights violations such as the death penalty, torture and inhuman or degrading treatment

It also protects all persons from being sent to countries where they would face serious human rights violations such as the death penalty, torture and inhuman or degrading treatment.

The rule, they said, was more than a legal principle. It understood that some governments could not, or refused, to protect their own citizens.

In such situations, other states were called to intervene and offer protection to persons who would otherwise be left stranded, vulnerable to terrible treatment and, at worst, killed.

At its heart, the principle embodied humanity’s spirit of solidarity with one another.

“As with all state policies, migration and asylum management can never be based on an approach that tramples on the dignity and rights of persons.

“We therefore strongly urge the European Commission to refrain from taking any action at all on Malta’s requests. Anything short of an absolute and clear non-engagement will inevitably result in complicity in flouting the Union’s values and making these Europe’s darkest days.

The statement was signed by the Aditus foundation, the African Media Association, the Arab-Maltese Community, the Critical Institute, the Integra Foundation, the International Association for Refugees, JRS Malta, the Malta Emigrants’ Commission, the Migrants’ Network for Equality, Moviment Graffitti, the Organisation for Friendship in Diversity, the People for Change Foundation, the Platform of Human Rights Organisations in Malta, SOS Malta, Spark 15, and the Sudanese Community in Malta.