Three young men on board the El Hiblu vessel, which had rescued migrants stranded in the Mediterranean, arrived in Malta on 28th March 2019. Three years later, they remain stuck in legal limbo with charges over hijacking a vessel, threatening its crew and terrorism hanging over their heads. 

Lamin*, Abdul and Abdalla (aged 15, 16 and 19 respectively at the time of their arrest) were dubbed as the El Hiblu Three in March 2019 upon their arrival in Malta after a long and life-threatening journey across the Mediterranean.

The three boys boarded a crowded and deflating dinghy that was fleeing Libya – a country plagued with arbitrary detention, rape, torture and exploitation.

When their crammed rubber float inevitably sank, a cargo ship named after its captain, Nadar El Hiblu, rescued the 111 individuals fearing for their lives.

The rescued persons were told that they would be taken to Europe but as the arduous journey progressed, they realised that they were being taken back to Libya.

Panic ensued. People began crying and shouting; insisting that they’d rather die at sea than be taken back to a country that wants to see them tortured.

This is where Lamin, Abdalla and Abdul entered the story.

The youths helped the chief officer by translating and calming the other 108 passengers down. Lamin explained to the captain the cause of distress and Nadar then decided to take the boat full of people to Malta.

However, according to the BBC, when Nadar approached the island, he reportedly told Maltese authorities across his radio that he was not in control of his ship.

Despite the island’s police confirming that no one was injured and that the “situation on the ship appeared quiet and under control”, the Maltese army stormed the ship and the boys were disembarked in Malta in handcuffs, according to an Amnesty International public statement.

Their journey has been covered across the globe but the case is still ongoing three years later. A book has now been released to keep the issue top of the agenda. 

This situation has forced three promising young boys to grow up at an unimaginable pace. After having to flee a country that was threatening their lives daily, they were met with unfounded allegations that Maltese authorities can’t seem to handle and thus, they’ve been condemned to almost three years of a mentally excruciating limbo.

What do you think of the case?