Still No Trial: Today Marks The Six-Year Anniversary Of Lassana Cisse’s Brutal Ħal Far Murder
Today marks six years since the tragic and brutal murder of Lassana Cisse, a 42-year-old man who was gunned down in what is believed to be the first racially-motivated killing in Maltese history. And over half a decade later, Lassana’s family are yet to find comfort in any sort of justice.
A migrant worker and father of two from the Ivory Coast, Lassana was killed in a drive-by shooting on the night of 6th April 2019, as he was walking back to the Ħal Far Open Centre after watching a football match in Birżebbuġa at around 11pm. Lassana was killed, while two other migrants, Ibrahim Bah and Mohammed Jallow, were injured.
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Just over one month later, off-duty AFM soldiers Francesco Fenech and Lorin Scicluna were arrested and charged with the murder of Lassana and the attempted murder of Bah, Jallow and May Malimi, who was hit by a car just two months before in a hit and run attack. At the time of the murder, Fenech and Scicluna were 21 and 22 years old.
The two soldiers denied the charges, pleaded not guilty, and on December 2019, were released on bail. Over two years after the murder, on 1st June 2021, the prosecution informed the court that it had presented all their evidence in the case. More than three years after his murder, Lassana’s remains were finally repatriated to Ivory Coast in July 2022.
Six years on, Lassana’s murder has triggered multiple protests and tributes, from gatherings outside of court to tribute-paintings inside churches. When everything is said and done, however, Lassana’s trial is yet to actually kick off, his suspected killers are still out on bail, and his family are yet to be given the justice they deserve.
In January 2020, Lovin Malta released a documentary on the life and death of Lassana. You can watch the full feature on YouTube.
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