Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/987872
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 30 MAY 2018 3 NEWS MATTHEW AGIUS A group of transgender in- mates have been awarded €5,000 in damages each by the courts after their human rights were breached when they were placed with male prisoners. The seven inmates, some of whom had transitioned from the male gender to female, all lived their lives as females and identified themselves as such. They filed the court case, argu- ing that the prison authorities were insisting on treating them as males. Some members of the group were offered a choice to move to the female section of Corra- dino prison, but as this would entail losing the opportunity to work and study, they declined. The inability to work would mean they could not afford hormone therapy. The female inmates and warders were also hostile to them and so they decided to stay in the male section, even though some of them had to share a cell with a male inmate. The situation led to ridicule, insults and vulgar sexual innu- endos from both their fellow inmates and the prison ward- ers. They were constrained to use the men's showers and would therefore wait until all the other inmates had washed, with one of their number standing guard. This meant that they would often have to forgo washing al- together. They had no personal security and would be subject- ed to insults and "continuous sexual abuse and violence". The inmates argued that the situation breached their right to private life and constituted inhuman and degrading treat- ment. Instead of creating a dignified and secure environment, the prison authorities had "know- ingly and repeatedly" placed them in situations where they were at high risk of sexual and psychological violence. The defendants argued that they had made efforts to ac- commodate the prisoners' needs by allocating different shower times. They had re- ceived no reports of abuse by the guards or other inmates, they claimed. They further rebutted the claims, by saying the minister was not the correct defendant and that the prisoners had not exhausted their ordinary rem- edies before resorting to court action. The court noted that the prisoners had been admitted at a young age and had suf- fered greatly over the period of their detention. It upheld the defence's first argument, saying that the correct defend- ant should have been only the prison director but not that the inmates had failed to exhaust their ordinary remedies. Making many references to European and local case law, Judge Silvio Meli said the treat- ment suffered by the plaintiffs fell within the parameters es- tablished by Strasbourg for a breach of their rights. It observed that the cell al- located to one in the female section of prison was filthy and used as a store room. The court added that the treatment suf- fered at the hands of the guards and inmates was "truly disgust- ing" and did not bear repeating. The inmates had been offered a Hobson's choice in either los- ing their education and income opportunities or their safety, said the judge. Although they were in prison to repay their debt to society this did not mean that they were unworthy of respect for their basic human dignity. It was plain to see that they had suffered degrading and dis- criminatory treatment on ac- count of their gender, which had an adverse effect on their wellbeing, said the court. The judge ordered the direc- tor of prisons to pay each of the seven inmates €4,000 for the breach of their rights, together with €1,000 each as damages to their personal dignity. The victims were represent- ed by lawyers Neil Falzon and Carla Camilleri from the hu- man rights NGO Aditus Foun- dation, and Cedric Mifsud. Seven transgender prison inmates awarded €5,000 each for 'truly disgusting' treatment A Maltese judge has ruled that a number of transgender inmates were "knowingly and repeatedly"placed by the Malta prison authorities in situations where they were at high risk of sexual and psychological violence They had suffered degrading and discriminatory treatment on account of their gender, which had an adverse effect on their wellbeing – Judge Silvio Meli MATTHEW VELLA THE Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi has de- clared she will not run again for the Eu- ropean elections in 2019. Mizzi, 64, was a member of the Socialists & Democrats group in the European Parliament. Mizzi said she had informed Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of her decision in May. "I believe I am leaving at the peak of my career and not in its twilight. Many poli- ticians want to stay put even when their time is up. But my heart is neither tied to the seat of power, nor to the MEP's sal- ary," Mizzi told It-Torca. The MEP, who also owns a children's educational toy retail chain, said her per- sonal decision was partly informed by the "loneliness" an MEP endures during their career. "The life of an MEP whose family is in Malta is replete with solitude. I lived this life in Brussels, Strasbourg, Malta and the world's airports. Now I would like to en- joy more of my family and nephews, and I have decided I won't run for election in 2019." Mizzi said she would carry out her full term until the 2019 elections. She said she was not anticipating any negative polls in the 2019 election, during which Labour is likely to return Miriam Dalli and Alfred Sant to their Brussels postings. "The Mal- tese know how to evaluate members who worked in their and their country's inter- ests – and my track record is impeccable," Mizzi said. "I hope that in 2019 voters will chose MEPs who put their country first and not use their seat to denigrate their country for partisan gain." Mizzi was elected as Malta's first wom- an MEP in April 2013, when she replaced outgoing MEP Edward Scicluna, who was elected to the Maltese parliament and ap- pointed finance minister. During her first year in parliament, she served as vice-chairwoman of the Com- mittee on Economic and Monetary Af- fairs. Following the 2014 European elec- tions, Mizzi became vice-chairwoman of the Committee on Petitions and a member of the Committee on the Inter- nal Market and Consumer Protection. In 2016, she was named the parliament's rapporteur on standardisation. In addi- tion to her committee assignments, Mizzi has been serving as member of the par- liament's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean since 2013. She is also a member of the Europe- an Parliament Intergroup on the Welfare and Conservation of Animals. Mizzi was born in 1954, in Rabat. She graduated in economics in 1976 from the University of Malta, continued her stud- ies at the Maastricht School of Manage- ment, and specialised in corporate gov- ernance. She was the last chairman of national shipping line Sea Malta before its privatisation. She is married to Magistrate Antonio Mizzi. Marlene Mizzi to call it a day in European politics