Human Rights Watch accused Malta Friday of holding migrants "captive" on pleasure cruise vessels off its coast, slamming the behaviour as "disgraceful" and demanding they be disembarked.

Over 160 migrants rescued between April 30 and May 7 are being held just outside territorial waters on ferry boats owned by Captain Morgan cruises, while Malta attempts to persuade other EU countries to take them in.

Malta and Italy have both closed their ports during the coronavirus pandemic, insisting it was not safe to take migrants in.

"It's incredible that the Maltese government would hold these people captive on tourist ferries in miserable conditions for weeks to pressure other EU countries to take them," Judith Sunderland, acting deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in a statement.

"Concerns about COVID-19 and long-standing complaints, in part justified, about lack of fair sharing of responsibility can't excuse this disgraceful behaviour," she said.

Valletta should "immediately allow (them) to disembark".

- 'Conditions deteriorating' -

The ferries, the Europa II and the Atlantis, were pleasure crafts designed for short tourist cruises and not to accommodate people for lengthy periods, and conditions on board "appear to be deteriorating significantly", HRW said.

Malta has not said whether this is a mandatory quarantine to limit the potential spread of COVID-19, nor is it clear if it has tested those rescued for the virus, isolated anyone with symptoms, or enabled social distancing, it said.

Even if it were intended as a quarantine, the migrants have been on board for longer than the commonly mandated 14-day period, it added.

One man who said he was on the Europa II told crisis hotline Alarm Phone in a Facebook post that some on board had attempted suicide, some were on hunger strike, and there was an outbreak of skin diseases.

The government says it is spending 3,000 euros a day for each boat and has requested EU funds to cover it, HRW said.

Some 1,400 migrants have arrived in Malta since the start of 2020, an increase of 438 percent on the same period last year, the government said.

Faced with what is has termed a "tsunami" of arrivals, it has called on fellow EU countries to take some of them in. Only France and Portugal have so far promised to host 30 and six migrants respectively from the ferries, Valletta said.

ide/wdb

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