Free El Hiblu 3

Free El Hiblu 3 Free ElHiblu3 Campaign! We demand the immediate dropping of all accusations against the 3 teenagers facing charges in Malta.

In Malta, three African teenagers stand accused of terrorism. They were among a group of migrants who fled Libya on a rubber boat on the 26th of March 2019. At the risk of drowning, 108 people were rescued by the crew of the cargo ship El Hiblu 1. Instructed by an aircraft of the European military operation Eunavfor Med, the crew sought to return the rescued to Libya, a war-torn country where migr

ants live in appalling conditions. The migrants protested their return and convinced the crew of El Hiblu 1 to steer north, to Malta. During the protest, nobody was hurt and nothing was damaged. Yet three African teenagers were arrested upon arrival and detained for 7 months. Now before a Maltese court, the El Hiblu 3 face serious charges of terrorism and could, if convicted, spend many years in prison.

At the Courts of Valletta the defence submits their application to include the UN special rapporteurs report to the ca...
01/05/2026

At the Courts of Valletta the defence
submits their application to include the UN special
rapporteurs report to the case file.

The Attorney General objects to the application.
The judges decision is due on 7th May.

Free

Seven years . Seven years of injustice. Seven posts.In the past days, we shared a collection of efforts to raise awaren...
04/04/2026

Seven years . Seven years of injustice. Seven posts.

In the past days, we shared a collection of efforts to raise awareness over the past seven years. Seven visual and cultural interpretations and seven moments of solidarity. We shared seven statements. Seven quotes of supporters.

It’s been seven years since Abdalla, Amara and Kader arrived in Malta and got arrested. Seven years. Help up, demand freedom for the three young men.

Now it’s your turn. Show your solidarity. Help us raise awareness:

Talk to your friends about the case. Follow our socials for updates.
Make a sign and share it online or share this call to action with your community.
Help grow awareness for the case. Lets try 7000 for seven years of solidarity.

Seven years . seven years of injustice. Seven voices: „We call on the authorities in to reconsider the terrorism char...
02/04/2026

Seven years . seven years of injustice. Seven voices:

„We call on the authorities in to reconsider the terrorism charges laid against three teenagers who were arrested on 28 March following the docking of the I commercial vessel in the country.“ UN High Comissioner Human Rights already in Spring 2019. Since then many actors have spoken out on the case of the .

„The criminalisation of the ElHiblu 3 is another example of European attacks on human rights and the rule of law.“ says Sean Binder, Criminal lawyer and former defendant charged with crimes of solidarity.

„The three young men have proven to be law abiding citizens, one of whom is a father now. I’m asking for the charges to be dropped.“ says David Yambio, President ofRefugees in Libya

„After the traumatic experiences they lived through in Libya, in concentration camps as Pope Francis calls them, upon their arrival in Malta they found themselves arrested.” says Malta President Emeritus Marie Louise Coleiro Preca

Seven years . Seven years of injustice. Seven quotes. Free /
01/04/2026

Seven years .
Seven years of injustice.
Seven quotes.


Free


/

Seven years . Seven years of injustice. Seven years ago today, Abdalla, Amara and Kader must have realised that this is...
31/03/2026

Seven years . Seven years of injustice.

Seven years ago today, Abdalla, Amara and Kader must have realised that this is all becoming more real than expected. The day before, charges were presented to them for the first time and their first bail request was denied. Countless news rooms had reported by now.

Today, we‘d like to remember some strong actions mobilised in the past seven years in the struggle for justice for the three young men.

2020: started a letter writing campaign in solidarity with the three teenagers

2022: we published a book, organised a conference that lead to many new connections and new forms of solidarity for the elhiblu3

2022: with the help of the migrant commission malta Abdalla, Amara and Kader met the pope. Later this year, Amara read his story during an event of

2023: many supporters around and travelled to Brussels to advocate for justice for the and together with we delivered a letter with over signatures to the AGs office

2024: we exhibited images of the past five years in Valletta

Seven years of . Seven years of injustice.In post three of our seven angles to this devastating anniversary we look bac...
30/03/2026

Seven years of . Seven years of injustice.

In post three of our seven angles to this devastating anniversary we look back at seven creative production that were developed over the time.

One of the first visual interpretations of the case was done by in form of a comic. With the campaign, partners like , and other supporters we produced a first short documentary on the case (full video on our website).

produced an animation for last years anniversary and a upporter just performed on the 28 March 2026 his poem on stage (full video on our website), illustrated the case, and produced visuals as many other friends and comrades like and many others. Thanks for your work, dedication and hopefully to further collaborations in the struggle for justice.

Free

Seven years . Seven years of injustice. Today, seven years ago Abdalla, Amara and Kader woke up for the first time on M...
29/03/2026

Seven years . Seven years of injustice.

Today, seven years ago Abdalla, Amara and Kader woke up for the first time on Maltese soil. Expecting to wake up from a nightmare which was just about to begin.

Seven years later - countless press statements later we selected seven of the most important ones throughout the past years.

27 March 2026 - Amnesty International
„Malta has instituted a catalogue of failures in its handling of this case. These young men have been denied a fair trial and were treated as adults, spending seven years of their youth in legal limbo“

23 January 2026 – UN press release
urges Malta to drop the charges „We condemn these unjustified charges. We are also concerned that Maltese law criminalises as terrorism conduct that is not genuinely terrorist under international law.”

26 March 2021 – EU Parlamentarians write letter to Attorney General
„We highly condemn the prosecution of the “

26 March 2021 – European Democratic Lawyers Association
„nternational law over the past decade has established that faced with such a contradiction, international law trumps that of the state where domestic state instructions would violate that law.“

26 March 2023 – Freedom Commission
„Freedom Commission members call on Malta to dismiss the trial“

29 September 2022 – Open Letter delivered to Attorney General
over 1,000 individual signatories and over 100 organisations signatures.

November 2019 – Common statement with grass-root organisations
on the successful bail application for Abdalla, Amara and Kader.

Thanks to
, , .boeselager , , and many many others for supporting the cause.

Free .

Seven years . Seven years of injustice. Today, seven years ago Abdalla, Amara and Kader woke up for the first time on M...
29/03/2026

Seven years . Seven years of injustice.

Today, seven years ago Abdalla, Amara and Kader woke up for the first time on Maltese soil. Expecting to wake up from a nightmare which was just about to begin.

Seven years later - countless press statements later we selected seven of the most important ones throughout the past years.

27 March 2026 - Amnesty International
„Malta has instituted a catalogue of failures in its handling of this case. These young men have been denied a fair trial and were treated as adults, spending seven years of their youth in legal limbo“

23 January 2026 – UN press release
urges Malta to drop the charges „We condemn these unjustified charges. We are also concerned that Maltese law criminalises as terrorism conduct that is not genuinely terrorist under international law.”

26 March 2021 – EU Parlamentarians write letter to Attorney General
„We highly condemn the prosecution of the “

26 March 2021 – European Democratic Lawyers Association
„nternational law over the past decade has established that faced with such a contradiction, international law trumps that of the state where domestic state instructions would violate that law.“

26 March 2023 – Freedom Commission
„Freedom Commission members call on Malta to dismiss the trial“

29 September 2022 – Open Letter delivered to Attorney General
over 1,000 individual signatories and over 100 organisations signatures.

November 2019 – Common statement with grass-root organisations
on the successful bail application for Abdalla, Amara and Kader.

Thanks to
, , .boeselager Carême, , and many many others for supporting the cause.

Free .

Seven years . Today marks seven years of injustice against Abdalla, Amara and Kader.Seven years ago today, on March 28,...
28/03/2026

Seven years . Today marks seven years of injustice against Abdalla, Amara and Kader.

Seven years ago today, on March 28, 2019, the three teenagers were arrested stepping off the El Hiblu tanker. The were accused of terrorist activity, cuffed with cable ties and taken into a high security prison wing in Malta, media reports scandalised they hijacked a ship.

One day prior they prevented an illegal pushback of 100 people to Libya. We’ve celebrated them in publications and events, the UN and Amnesty International have repeatedly scandalised the injustice brought against them. According to Amnesty International, Malta has instituted a catalogue of failures in its handling of this case.

Today, as every year since 2019 we struggle together for justice. Abdalla, Amara and Kader have now waited seven years to get their lives back. It is high time to end this farcical trial. We demand the charges be dropped. Free El Hiblu 3.

The case was deferred to the 21 April as the defence was not notified of the response of the Attorney General in relatio...
27/03/2026

The case was deferred to the 21 April as the defence was not notified of the response of the Attorney General in relation to the defence’s request to present the UN’s Report on the EL HIBLU CASE recommending the withdrawal of the charges.

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