In a statement issued today, Moviment Graffitti stated that a coalition of human rights organisations, activists, and concerned citizens will gather in protest this Friday, 28th March at 6 pm, against the conditions at Safi Detention Centre, where migrants and asylum seekers are reportedly held in degrading and inhumane conditions.
The demonstration, endorsed by 15 organisations, aims to highlight the lack of legal aid, poor hygiene, and the prolonged, unnecessary detention of vulnerable individuals, including children and LGBTIQ+ persons.
The protest, will call for the implementation of established alternatives to detention, advocating for a more humane and rights-based approach to migration.
According to reports from the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture, detainees at Safi are subjected to “widespread institutional neglect,” which significantly affects their mental and physical well-being. Many are denied contact with the outside world, and access to essential services, including legal aid, remains severely restricted.
Among those affected are individuals with specific vulnerabilities, such as people with different needs, survivors of trauma, and members of the LGBTIQ+ community, whose safety and dignity are at risk under current detention practices.
The endorsing organisations – including aditus foundation, Doctors for Choice, the Jesuit Refugee Service Malta, and Moviment Graffitti – are urging Maltese authorities to reconsider current detention policies. They emphasise that established alternatives exist and should be utilised to prevent further human suffering.
“We are standing in solidarity with those suffering in these unacceptable conditions. Detention should not be the default response to migration,” said a spokesperson for the protest.
The event is open to the public, and organisers encourage participation to amplify the call for justice and humane treatment of detainees.
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