‘Why are we blaming the El Hiblu three for fleeing the horrors of Libya?
A German MP is questioning why the El Hiblu three are being blamed for doing their utmost to prevent having to go back to the known horrors of Libya. Awet Tesfaiesus, who is part of a working group on migration and the first black woman elected to the Bundestag, was in Malta this week to observe proceedings being brought against Abdalla, Amara and Kader, who have been accused of what amounts to terrorism while they were still teenagers. The case dates back to 2019 when a group of migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean by the oil tanker El Hiblu and were en route to Libya before the vessel was allegedly “hijacked” and diverted to Malta. The case against the three, who were 15, 16 and 19 at the time of the incident, has garnered international condemnation with repeated calls for the charges to be dropped. Speaking to Times of Malta, Tesfaiesus said that the cross-party working group had taken interest in the case due to the serious nature of the charges as well as the young age of the men being accused of them. “I myself came to Germany as a refugee when I was a child, so I know the situation,” she said. “I studied law and have always felt that I have a responsibility to...