‘Terrorism’: AG issues bill of indictment against El Hiblu 3

Abdallah Bari, Amara Kromah and Abdul Kader, accused of hijacking an oil tanker in 2019, will have to face a criminal trial with the prospect of life imprisonment.

The Attorney General’s decision was formalised earlier in November when prosecutors filed no less than nine separate charges against Kromah and Bari.

Kader, who is believed to have fled Malta in summer, will also stand trial if located and brought back to the country.

Activists, NGOs and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have long been calling on the prosecution to reconsider the charges.

The ‘Coalition for the El Hiblu 3’ said it was “aggrieved and angry that the Attorney General has ignored the testimonies heard during the compilation of evidence”.

“In charging the three young men, the Maltese authorities have missed an opportunity to rectify a grave injustice that has unfolded over nearly five years”, it said.

The ‘El Hiblu 3’

In late March 2019, Abdalla Bari, Amara Kromah and Abdul Kader were among 108 people rescued by the merchant vessel ‘El Hiblu 1’. The three were 15, 16 and 19 years old at that time.

When the rescued passengers realised they were being returned to Libya, they began to protest the attempted push-back. The ship re-directed its course and steered north towards Malta.

During the protest, none of the crew were injured and the ship remained undamaged. Witnesses said the three had stepped in as mediators to calm the situation and acted as interpreters due to their English skills.

Upon arrival, the three teenagers were arrested and accused of multiple crimes, including acts of terrorism, and detained for seven months.

Human rights activists and NGOs have been working on getting attention to the case from the very beginning, and Abdalla, Amara and Kader became known as ‘El Hiblu 3’.

In 2019, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani appealed to the Maltese authorities to reconsider the charges.

Earlier this year, former Maltese President Marie Louise Coleiro-Preca called the case a “travesty of justice” and a “total waste” of Malta’s time and resources.

Cover Image: Joanna Demarco / elhiblu3.info