Amnesty International - the human rights watchdog - yesterday harshly criticised the way Malta is dealing with illegal immigration and alleged that the island is not respecting its international obligations.
Launching its annual report in Brussels yesterday, Amnesty said that Malta's performance last year continued to be abysmal.
"The Maltese authorities continued to detain migrants automatically on arrival to the island, contrary to their international obligations. They also failed to adequately protect people stranded at sea. The Council of Europe criticised Malta for its policies regarding detention of migrants," the report notes.
Citing two particular incidents, Amnesty accused the Maltese authorities of failing to protect the right to life of people stranded at sea.
"On May 21, 2007, officers of the Maltese Armed Forces spotted 53 people in a sinking boat approximately 88 nautical miles south of Malta. According to reports, it took 12 hours for a rescue vessel to reach the boat, by which time it had disappeared.
"The individuals on the boat, who may have been seeking international protection, reportedly managed to return to Libya where they were retained at the Al Zoura detention centre."
The tuna-pen incident which last year made international headlines was also given prominence.
"On May 24, a Maltese fishing boat failed to take on board 27 migrants and asylum-seekers whose boat had sunk. The ship-master did not allow them to hold onto a tuna cage to prevent them from drowning, and eventually let them on to the vessel. The Maltese authorities failed to rescue them or to ensure their safety. They were finally rescued by an Italian vessel."
Amnesty's report continued to criticise Malta's current detention policy and the conditions in which illegal immigrants are being detained.
"Detention conditions remained poor including at the Ħal Far open migration detention centre, which migrants are allowed to leave, where up to 800 migrants were housed in approximately 25 tents, some of them with holes in them. Those living in the faulty tents were directly exposed to rain, wind and cold temperatures, leading to sleep deprivation and ill health. The Maltese authorities said they had no intention of replacing the tents with other structures."
Referring to a report by an NGO called Medecins du Monde, Amnesty International said that in August, a heavily pregnant Somali woman gave birth in detention.