Christian man who faced prison for ex-LGBTQ testimony found not guilty after 3-year legal battle
A Christian man in Malta who faced jail time after publicly sharing his testimony of leaving the LGBTQ lifestyle has been acquitted after a three-year legal battle.Matthew Grech, 33, faced up to five months in prison and a fine of 5,000 euros ($5,400) for an interview he gave to the media outlet PMnews Malta in 2022.During the segment, Grech discussed his personal journey of leaving a homosexual lifestyle to become a born-again Christian.On Wednesday, Magistrate Monica Vella ruled that Grech and journalists Mario Camilleri, 44, and Rita Bonnici, 45, who were also prosecuted in the case, were not guilty of violating Malta’s “Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender and Gender Expression Act,” Malta Today reported.The 2016 legislation, the first of its kind in the European Union, criminalizes the performance and advertisement for practices aimed at changing or suppressing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.Grech became the first person prosecuted under the act, according to the Christian Legal Center, after LGBTQ activists filed police reports after the interview aired.The reports were filed by Silvan Agius, a former senior EU equality official who helped draft the original legislation, and former and current activists with the Malta Gay Rights Movement, Christian Attard and Cynthia Chircop. They alleged that the interview served as “marketing” for the International Foundation for Therapeutic and Counseling Choice (IFTCC), an organization Grech represents.However, the court found that Grech sharing his personal story did not constitute a criminal offense under the act.The judgment held the prosecution failed to prove the offense beyond reasonable doubt, particularly that the broadcast amounted to “advertising” a prohibited “conversion practice,” and that any services referenced actually fell within the legislation’s definition.According to Malta Today, Vella compared the TV interview to public debates on other controversi...