Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1171146
NEWS 8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 25 SEPTEMBER 2019 NOTICE TO CUSTOMERS WasteServ Malta Ltd wishes to notify that the Magħtab Civic Amenity Site will be closed for maintenance works as of the 20th of September for two weeks. General Public is advised to use one of the other sites which are in Ta' Qali, Imrieħel, Luqa & Ħal Far. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. MATTHEW VELLA AN agreement reached in Val- letta on Monday on a temporary mechanism for disembarking people rescued in the Central Mediterranean was seen as a positive step for protecting the rights of refugees and migrants, Amnesty International said. The agreement was announced by the home affairs ministers of France, Germany, Italy and Malta, and representatives of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Commission. "Details of the agreement are still to be disclosed, but we expect it to lead to the estab- lishment of a reliable system to ensure that people rescued in the Central Mediterranean are promptly and safely disem- barked in Europe and that EU countries step up and share re- sponsibility for them," said Eve Geddie, Director of the Euro- pean Institutions Office at Am- nesty International. The talks came after the new Italian government tried to take a different tack, in the wake of former interior minister Mat- teo Salvini decision to close his country's ports to NGO vessels that rescued migrants in the Mediterranean. Rescue vessels are regularly stranded at sea, with Mediter- ranean countries reluctant to allow migrants in without an agreement with other EU coun- tries that they would take in some of the asylum seekers. However, the ministers on Monday unveiled little of their agreement's substance, wanting to present it first to other EU countries. "We hope this mechanism will put an end to the obscene spec- tacle of people left stranded on boats for weeks waiting to know where, or even if, they can dis- embark. Speedier disembar- kations are essential for those rescued in the Central Mediter- ranean who have often already suffered horrific abuse in de- tention centres in Libya and a perilous sea journey – they are exhausted and in need of pro- tection and care," Geddie said. The Malta meeting essentially demanded a formal workaround to existing European Union treaties, which puts heavy bur- dens on frontline nations like Italy and Malta by requiring that asylum seekers stay where they arrive. Italy hopes the new agreement will avoid the case-by-case ne- gotiations which have followed standoffs between Italy and aid ships that have left the migrants they carry stranded precariously at sea for days or weeks. NGOs undertaking search and rescue have faced criminal pros- ecutions in Italy, the impound- ing of their vessels in Malta, the imposition of heavy fines and the arrest of their staff for saving lives at sea and trying to disem- bark them in a safe place. "Having disembarked a sig- nificant number of people this year, without adequately pre- paring for such scenario, Malta's reception and asylum system is strained. Hundreds of men, women and children are held in sub-standard conditions. Many of them have been unlawfully detained, as they are held far longer than the maximum pe- riod permitted by national law, which is intended only to allow for medical checks on arrival," Geddie said. Malta detains irregular mi- grants up to a maximum 12 months. But lawyers and representa- tives of organisations who regu- larly visit the detention facilities told Amnesty International that the centres were seriously over- crowded, that separation be- tween adults and children is not ensured, and that conditions are squalid with people having in- adequate access to basic neces- sities such as clean underwear and toiletries. "Although limited to people rescued in the Central Mediter- ranean, the agreement is a sign that European leaders may be finally stepping up to manage migration towards Europe more responsibly and humanely. Now it is paramount that more mem- ber states join soon," Geddie said. Amnesty International has repeatedly called on European governments to set up a predict- able disembarkation and relo- cation mechanism to promptly address the needs of people rescued in the Central Mediter- ranean. Maltese authorities did not allow Amnesty International's researchers present in Malta in September to visit the Initial Re- ception Centre or its extension at the Safi Barracks, near Luqa, where refugees and migrants are held. "However, they acknowl- edged that the situation in the centres was challenging due to the insufficient physical space, the number of people disem- barked and the lack of resources to process claims," Amnesty said. Mandatory relocation of asy- lum seekers caused a major rift among EU countries at the height of the migrant influx in 2015 when central European countries refused to take in peo- ple. Negotiations to reform the EU's asylum system had been at a deadlock since, as countries could not agree on a redistribu- tion mechanism. Malta asylum seeker disembarkation deal shows 'more humane approach is possible' Foreign ministers discuss a mechanism for disembarking people rescued in the Central Mediterranean DAVID HUDSON A man who assaulted a couple and robbed them of their jewellery has been sen- tenced to five years in pris- on by the Gozo court. The man was accused of assaulting a 55-year-old woman and a 58-year-old man using a stone that he hurled at them and of steal- ing their possessions. He was also accused of breach- ing court orders from a pre- vious sentence. The man pleaded guilty to the charges. The incident took place on 22 September at around 4am on Triq il-Bullara in Xaghra, Gozo. The man had run off with the woman's jewellery after he hit her with a stone he threw in her direction. He ran off but was eventually detained by police. The woman is still recov- ering from very serious in- juries at the Gozo General hospital. The man only suf- fered slight injuries. In view of the guilty plea, the court sentenced the man to five years in prison. Inspector Bernard Charles Spiteri prosecuted. Paul Coppini was presiding mag- istrate. Man who hurled stones at couple he robbed jailed for five years