European Human Rights Court orders Malta to release children from detention The European Court of Human Rights ordered Malta to release seven children held in a detention centre in Ħal Far. The children, who were rescued at sea with other 47 people and detained upon disembarkation, were given a joint hearing with the rest of the group despite declaring themselves as children, and were issued a collective detention decision. After a month of inaction by the authorities, lawyers from the Aditus Foundation filed a request for interim measures before the European Court of Human Rights, which was upheld by the Court on the same day. European Human Rights Court condemns Poland for detaining children The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the detention of R.M. and their three children in Poland for seven months, pending their deportation to Russia, was unlawful. The court found that the authorities did not consider whether the detention of the children for this period was a solution of last resort or that they have taken the necessary steps to limit the duration of their confinement to the strict minimum. Additionally, the Court found that the applicants did not have a fair opportunity to challenge the legality of the measure in court as the information communicated to them did not explain the legal basis for their detention.