PN says Ian Borg agrees with its stance that human rights should not be tampered with

Human rights should not be tampered with, the Nationalist Party said on Tuesday, pointing out that Foreign Minister Ian Borg is agreeing with its stance.

The PN noted that Borg’s comments earlier on Tuesday that Malta’s agenda for the presidency of the Council of Europe does not include a reform of human rights, contradicted what Prime Minister Robert Abela said last month.

“The Deputy Prime Minister is now saying that Malta’s agenda during its Presidency of the Council of Europe will not include the reforms Abela had announced just a few weeks ago, and that the changes the Prime Minister intended to make to the Convention on Human Rights will be entirely excluded from discussion,” the PN said, adding that Borg has undermined Abela’s word.

Abela had promised EU leaders during a meeting on migration on the fringes of an EU summit in March that Malta will put convention reform on the agenda of its Council of Europe presidency. The declaration caught his own government by surprise and raised eyebrows among human rights organisations.

Speaking in parliament a few days later, Abela doubled down on his remarks when faced with pertinent questions from opposition MPs. The PN had expressed concern over the prime minister’s remarks.

“Once again, Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg has contradicted Prime Minister Robert Abela, this time by agreeing with the PN that under no circumstances should human rights be tampered with,” the PN said.