Moviment Graffitti is deeply concerned about the forms of institutionalised racism manifested by the Criminal Justice System.   A case in point is this week’s inhumane and unjust judgement whereby two couples arrested at the airport on their way to Belgium were arbitrarily handed down a 6-month prison sentence by the Court of Magistrates for the use of forged passports, leaving their innocent children ‘orphaned’ by the system.

It is to be noted that whilst the Immigration Act (Chapter 217 of the Laws of Malta) provides for a term of  six months to two years imprisonment for the use of forged documents, nothing in the law precludes the Court from handing  any of the community-based sanctions provided for under the Probation Act (Chapter 446 of the Laws of Malta) such as a Conditional Discharge, Probation Order, a Community Service Order or a Combination Order – sanctions which are routinely utilised for offences which carry a sentence of up to 7 years imprisonment and for offences which definitely cause more harm to victims of crime and society when compared to the use of forged documents by asylum seekers.

This discriminatory use of sentencing towards migrants and asylum seekers demonstrates that the criminal courts are being deliberately over punitive towards the most vulnerable. Indeed, one of the factors for the overpopulation crisis in the prison system can be attributed to the fact that persons found guilty under the Immigration Act are being handed out cruel prison sentences without any humanitarian consideration to their particular circumstances – a blatant case of abuse of power and institutionalised racism.  

Moviment Graffitti is also deeply concerned about the move towards greater ‘crimmigration’ processes whereby immigration is increasingly being enmeshed in criminal justice processes and criminalised rather than addressed as a humanitarian issue.

While it is understood that the criminal justice system needs to seriously address organised crime and human trafficking, it is clearly the case that through such inhumane and discriminatory practices, it is only targeting the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. This is definitely not the scope of the criminal justice system which is supposed to provide a fair and just treatment to all as well as to ensure that the severity of the punishment is proportionate to the offence committed. 

In view of this, Moviment Graffitti calls for a more humane and just application of punishment and an immediate end to institutionalised racism by the criminal justice system. 

Il-Moviment Graffitti jikkundanna r-razziżmu istituzzjonalizzat evidenti fis-sentenzi li jingħataw lill-immigranti u jsejjaħ għal sistem ġudizzjarja iktar umana

Il-Moviment Graffitti jesprimi t-tħassib tiegħu dwar il-forom ta’ razziżmu istituzzjonalizzat evidenti fis-sistema tal-ġustizzja kriminali. Każ partikolari huwa l-ġudizzju inuman u inġust ta’ jumejn ilu fejn żewġ koppji fi triqthom lejn il-Belġju, ġew arrestati fl-ajruport u ngħataw sentenza ta’ sitt xhur ħabs b’mod arbitrarju mill-Qorti tal-Maġistrati għax kellhom passaporti foloz, b’uliedhom li ma jaħtu xejn jispiċċaw ‘orfni’ mis-sistema. 

Tajjeb ninnutaw li filwaqt li l-Att Dwar l-Immigrazzjoni (Kapitlu 217 tal-Liġijiet ta’ Malta) jipprovdi għal terminu ta’ bejn sitt xhur u sentejn ħabs għall-użu ta’ dokumenti foloz, m’hemm xejn fil-liġi li jwaqqaf lill-Qrati milli jagħti waħda mis-sanzjonijiet ibbażati fil-komunità li jipprovdi l-Att dwar il-Probation (Kapitlu 446 tal-Liġijiet ta’ Malta) bħal kwittanza kondizzjonali, Ordni ta’ Probation, Ordni ta’ Servizz fil-Komunità, jew Ordni ta’ Kombinazzjoni – sanzjonijiet li jingħataw b’mod regolari għal offiżi li jġorru sentenza ta’ mhux iktar minn seba’ snin ħabs u għal offiżi li jikkawżaw ħafna iktar ħsara lill-vittmi tagħhom u lis-soċjetà meta tqabbilhom mal-użu ta’ dokumenti foloz minn immigranti. 

Dan l-issentenzjar diskriminatorju lejn l-immigranti u dawk li qed ifittxu ażil juri li l-qrati kriminali qegħdin ikunu l-iktar kattivi u ħorox ma’ dawk l-iktar vulnerabbli. Fil-fatt wieħed mill-fatturi li qed tikkontribwixxi għall-kriżi ta’ nuqqas ta’ spazju fis-sistema tagħna tal-ħabs jista’ jiġi attribwit għall-fatt li dawk li jinstabu ħatja taħt l-Att dwar l-Immigrazzjoni qegħdin jingħataw sentenzi kattivi ta’ ħabs mingħajr l-ebda kunsiderazzjoni umanitarja għaċ-ċirkustanzi partikolari tagħhom – każ sfaċċat ta’ abbuż ta’ poter u ta’ razziżmu istituzzjonalizzat. 

Il-Moviment Graffitti jinsab ukoll imħasseb dwar proċessi ovvji ta’ ‘krimmigrazzjoni’ fejn l-immigrazzjoni qiegħda tkun minsuġa dejjem iżjed ma’ proċessi ta’ ġustizzja kriminali u qiegħda tiġi kriminalizzata minflok indirizzata fuq bażi umanitarja. 

Filwaqt li nifhmu li s-sistema tal-ġustizzja kriminali jeħtieġ li tindirizza serjament il-kriminalità organizzata u t-traffikar uman, huwa ċar li b’dawn il-prattiki inumani u diskriminatorji, qed tilħaq biss lil min hu vulnerabbli u żvantaġġat. Dan żgur mhux l-iskop tas-sistema tal-ġustizzja kriminali li għandha d-dmir li titratta lil kulħadd b’mod ġust u bla preġudizzji kif ukoll li tiżgura li s-severità tas-sentenza tkun tirrifletti l-offiża li tkun saret. 

Fid-dawl ta’ dan, il-Moviment Graffitti jsejjaħ għal mod iktar uman u ġust ta’ sentenzjar kif ukoll għat-tmiem immedjat tar-razziżmu istituzzjonalizzat tas-sistema tal-ġustizzja kriminali.