A coalition of civil society organisations has called for the resignation of Home Affairs Minister Bryon Camilleri and the removal of the former Director of Prisons, Alexander Dalli, from any government position following a highly critical Ombudman’s report into Corradino prison. The report found that there had been frequent intimidation of prisoners in Corradino.
The civil society group is also calling for a reparation and compensation scheme for victims, a timeline for the prompt implementation of the Ombudsman’s recommendations, and real access to all places where anyone is deprived of their liberty to civil society organisations and the media.
“It is clear that the weight of responsibility for this scale of institutionalised human rights violations lies with the Home Affairs Ministry portfolio: previously Michael Farrugia, subsequently and presently Byron Camilleri,” the group remarks in the statement (which is published in full below).
Civil Society statement on the Ombudsperson’s report on Corradino prison:
The Ombudsman’s prison report reveals the appalling situation in prison prevailing under Alexander Dalli’s Directorship. Dalli stripped inmates of their human dignity and actively fostered an environment of abuse, humiliation and violence. Vulnerable inmates – persons with addiction or mental health problems, and migrants – were specifically targeted by his tyranny through practices that are the stuff of nightmares. Under his watch, Malta had the dubious honour of having the highest percentage of deaths inside penal institutions both in terms of general mortality rate and in terms of suicide rate.
Yet despite published information on the infernal situation in Corradino, the Government has held nobody to account. Instead, in yet another exercise of impunity and lack of accountability, the Government entrusted Alexander Dalli with the highly lucrative job of running the so-called Malta-Libya Coordination Centre with the power to oversee the very same groups he had racially humiliated and abused: migrants. It beggars belief that the Home Affairs Ministry is now defending Dalli’s position, notwithstanding this extremely damning Ombudsman report.
We welcome the initiatives implemented in recent years, including the prosecutions against two prison warders. Nonetheless, no other disciplinary measures were taken. It is also not clear if reparation and compensatory schemes have been established to provide victims of such harsh human rights violations with the justice they deserve and, where needed, support for their recovery. To date, no senior figure was held criminally or politically responsible.
The report describes the situation at Corradino as one of “systemic maladministration”. Minister Camilleri oversaw this collapse of one of the most important institutions under his wing, to the detriment of those inmates who fell under Dalli’s reign of terror. His continued tenure is indefensible. He must resign immediately. Malta needs justice, not more cover-ups.
The statement is signed by aditus foundation, African Media Association Malta, Blue Door Education, Dar Hosea, Department of Youth, Community and Migration Studies (University of Malta), Drachma LGBTI, Drachma Parents, Faculty for Social Wellbeing (University of Malta), Jesuit Refugee Service (Malta), Joint Action Movement, Mediterranean Aid Education Centre (Italy), MGRM, Moviment Graffitti, Paulo Freire Institute, PEN Malta, Professor Andrew Azzopardi, Spark15, St Jeanne Antide Foundation, and Women’s Rights Foundation.
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