Concerns mount as academics join non-governmental organisations’ warnings about Prime Minister Robert Abela’s call on 23 March for a revision of the human rights charter as Malta takes on the Chair of the Council of Europe.

In a statement, the Dean of the Faculty of Education, Colin Calleja, supported by lecturer Dr Louise Chircop, amplified criticism of the prime minister’s statement that human rights apply only to those who ‘merit’ them.

Prime Minister Robert Abela said that human rights conventions written 80 years ago have expired and need to be “updated” to reflect the current reality of migration.

The academics echoed concerns expressed by NGOs, saying, “From a human rights perspective, it is essential to uphold the principle that all people are entitled to dignity and equal treatment, regardless of their socio-economic background or country of origin. Suggesting that some individuals are more or less deserving of rights based on arbitrary criteria risks undermining these universal principles.”

They raised concern that the prime minister’s discourse “may fuel xenophobic sentiments and make it more difficult to engage with migration in a humane and constructive manner”.

“Policies addressing migration must strike a careful balance between pragmatism, human rights obligations, and global responsibility,” the academics said.

They join others who slammed the prime minister’s speech, with human rights organisation aditus stating, “It is indeed extremely worrying and embarrassing that the incoming Chair of the Council of Europe actively opts for populism, exclusion, and sheer obliviousness.”

The organisation added that this signalled a worrying shift toward populism, exclusion, and disregard for fundamental principles of justice and equality.

“We are concerned that the prime minister seems more interested in pleasing his fascist colleagues leading other European States rather than confirming Malta’s unwavering commitment to fundamental human rights for everyone,” aditus said.

NGO Repubblika also expressed concern, saying, “The prime minister is abandoning decades of consensus in Malta’s domestic and foreign policy and aligning with the far right to undermine fundamental human rights.”

“The prime minister is arguing that existing rights should now be removed so that the government can carry out actions that are currently considered illegal.”

Like others commenting on the issue, Repubblika stressed that human rights are fundamental, inalienable and universal.

“The prime minister demonstrated a gross ignorance of historical facts when he claimed that, when the human rights conventions were written in the 1940s, their authors could not have foreseen the migration conditions that would arise 80 years later,” Repubblika said.

The organisation pointed out that the authors of the conventions in the 1940s wrote them in the shadow and living memory of World War II and the Nazi Holocaust.

“These authors had witnessed the consequences of governments denying the right of refugees fleeing persecution and extreme poverty to seek safety,” Repubblika said.

A clear message from all criticising the prime minister’s speech stressed that international laws were developed to protect every human being from abuses by those in power.

Malta’s judicial system has, in many cases, fallen short in upholding human rights, particularly in its treatment of vulnerable individuals, including children. In some instances, the court has ruled that Malta’s practices amount to inhuman and degrading treatment.