A group of Maltese authors have issued the following statement:

As citizens, authors and above all, human beings, we would like to express in the most categorical terms, our disapproval of the decision, or even the mere consideration, by the Maltese Government to push back the immigrants that came to Malta, an action that would have placed these people’s lives in grave danger.

We feel that the Maltese Government, elected by the people, not only has the power but above all the moral duty to offer its protection to these people, who live in the most trying circumstances.

It is with dismay that we note the lack of human compassion displayed by Malta, as evidenced by the fact that this action was only stopped after an intervention by the European Court of Human Rights.

We believe that no discourse about the “national interest” can justify such an act, especially since these refugees were about to be sent back in breach of their fundamental right to make their case.

For this reason, as Maltese citizens, we dissociate ourselves from this decision because we are convinced that it is in violation of all principles of human dignity.

Clare Azzopardi 384777M

Keith Azzopardi 291091M

Simon Bartolo 210568M

Gilbert Calleja 277378M

Glen Calleja 277478M

Antoine Cassar 593978M

Leanne Ellul 472289M

Annalise Falzon 460075M

Albert Gatt 45479M

Claudia Gauci 464576M

Simone Galea 300967 M

Elizabeth Grech 337878M

Maria Grech Ganado 147343M

Adrian Grima 130668M

Tyron Grima 553076M

Simone Inguanez 543671M

Caldon Mercieca 269676M

Immanuel Mifsud 374467M

Nadja Mifsud 210876M

Walid Nabhan 0067310L

John Portelli 314054M

Marco Scerri 316901L

Mark Vella 408874M

Karl Schembri 433378M

Simone Spiteri 385083M

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