Independent: Threat to human rights undermines consultative council's role

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-07-11/news/threat-to-human-rights-undermines-consultative-councils-role-2052718593/
Thursday, 11 July 2013, 21:31

In a statement, the Consultative Council for LGBT rights said that while members of the council were selected on the basis they are involved in promoting rights related to lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender persons, the organisations that form part of the council enphasise that human rights pertain to every individual.

Therefore, the consultative council is against any form of threat to the fundamental right of any individual, be it immigrants or anyone else for that matter.

The council said that when a government poses a threat to human rights, this undermines the purpose of the consultative council’s role.

This statement was issued in the light of the government’s plans earlier this week to repatriate a group of migrants that arrived in Malta, plans that were blocked by the European Court of Human Rights.

Following the government’s announcement of its intention of adopting the push back system, Aditus Foundation and Drachma LGBT withdrew from the consultative council, which was formed by the same government, on the basis that it did not agree with the prime minister's plans to repatriate migrants.

Earlier

Speaking to this portal, Minister for Civil Rights Helena Dalli said that her ministry was ensuring that human rights are not breached and hoped that the ministry could continue to work with the NGOs that withdrew from the consultative council.

She said that both the Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister assured her that human rights will not be breached, adding that Dr Mallia also told her that he was also prepared to meet with the NGOs that withdrew from the council to convince them that at no time were human rights breached.