Inquiry into detainee’s death still under wraps

A magisterial inquiry into the murder of 32-year-old Mamadou Kamara last June has been concluded but the Government will not publish the findings while a criminal trial is in progress. Mr Kamara, a Malian, died after allegedly receiving multiple blows to the groin while handcuffed, following his recapture by Armed Forces of Malta personnel after he escaped from the Safi detention centre. He had already fled the centre once before, in 2009, a year after arriving in Malta. Two soldiers have been charged with his murder and his death prompted Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to order an inquiry. Mr Justice Jeffrey Valenzia, who conducted the inquiry, has submitted his report but a spokesman for the Prime Minister’s office said that, since the soldiers allegedly involved in Mr Kamara’s death were still being tried, “it would not be prudent” to publish the findings at this stage. This has upset NGOs who met with the Prime Minister shortly after Mr Kamara’s death. “One wonders when the Government would consider it prudent to publish these findings, seeing as we’re talking about a man who was killed while in detention,” Aditus director and human rights lawyer Neil Falzon said. His comments...