Activists recruit over 35,000 signatures from 88 countries demanding asylum for defecting pilots

The pilots say they were ordered to fire upon Libyan civilians or face likely execution if they returned without carrying out the attacks. Instead, the pilots flew out of Libya and defected to the nearby island nation of Malta. But to date the Maltese government has been silent as to whether the two pilots will receive asylum.

The petition, started on Change.org by the grassroots Libyan group “ENOUGH! Gaddafi”, calls on the Maltese government to make a public declaration of asylum for the pilots to “encourage more pilots and ship captains to refuse to attack civilians.” The Libyan activists’ campaign has gained greater significance as reports of Libyan forces bombing towns like Ajdabiya, Brega and Ras Lanuf continue to emerge.

“We see this campaign as one cog in the wheel of many efforts that are needed to encourage those who are fighting for the regime to defect and help continue to isolate the regime,” said Abdulla Darrat, an expatriate Libyan activist helping run ENOUGH! Gaddafi.

“Hopefully the petition will encourage the Maltese government to throw their support behind the Libyan people, and to support the soldiers who are choosing to leave Libya rather than bomb their own people.”

In it’s first day the petition attracted more than 1000 signatures an hour on Change.org, the world’s fastest growing social change platform. It has since become the most popular human rights petition on the site, which has nearly three million monthly readers.

“What these activists have achieved here is remarkable,” said Change.org Founder and CEO Ben Rattray. “From locations all over the globe, this group was able to mobilize more 1,000 people an hour from 88 countries to call for a creative intervention in the Libyan crises. Change.org is about empowering local activists to make meaningful social change, and it’s been an honor to support this inspiring and important campaign.”

Darrell Pace, a spokesperson for the Maltese Ministry of Justice, told Change.org staff: "We appreciate that this case is raising a lot of international attention, but I cannot comment on this case. The problem is this: our Refugee Act prohibits anyone to speak about the case until it is decided. All I can say is that the request is being accessed according to its merit.'