Tomorrow, after more than three years of legal uncertainty, a ruling is expected in the unprecedented criminal case against Maltese Christian, Matthew Grech.
In February 2025, Grech attended his twelfth court hearing to give evidence in a case that has drawn international attention and raised serious concerns about the freedom of speech, Christianity, and press in Malta.
The case is believed to be the first of its kind and its outcome will have international significance and ramifications.
What happens in Malta on these issues is of international significance as Malta became the first country in the European Union to ban what LGBT lobbies describe as ‘conversion therapy’ in 2016.
A ripple effect has followed with other nations, such as the UK and Australia, using the original Maltese legislation as a blueprint for similar bans.
Now tomorrow, November 6, from 9.30am, a ruling is expected to be handed down on Matthew’s case in Malta’s capital, Valetta, at VGX6+8W2, Republic St, Valletta VLT 1434, Malta.
Matthew, who has been supported by Dr. Jeanise Dalli and lawyers at the Christian Legal Centre, is an ex-gay man and Christian church worker, who is being prosecuted under Malta’s Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender and Gender Expression Act for allegedly “advertising conversion practices.”
The charges stem from a 2022 interview on PMnews Malta, a free-speech media platform, where Grech shared his personal testimony of becoming a born-again Christian and voluntarily leaving behind a homosexual lifestyle.
Matthew’s legal team have argued that the charges against him violate his fundamental rights under Article 41 of the Constitution of Malta and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. They maintain that Grech’s interview was a personal expression of faith and identity, not an advertisement for therapy.
During the interview, Grech spoke openly about his faith journey and personal transformation, but at no point did he promote or offer therapy.
The presenters, who are also facing prosecution, asked Grech about his views on so-called “conversion therapy,” which is banned in Malta.
Grech responded by sharing his own experience and referencing scientific perspectives on how addressing trauma through talking therapy can sometimes reduce same-sex attraction and gender confusion.
Mr Grech spoke about how he does not agree with the term ‘conversion therapy’ and said that the deeper he went into his Christian faith and exploring the Bible, the more: “I understood that in the Bible, homosexuality is not an identity as we make it nowadays. And neither is it a feeling, but a practice. This means that no matter what sexual feelings a man or a woman is experiencing, if they have sexual relations with a person of the same sex, they commit the homosexual act in God’s eyes, and that is a sin. Just like every other sin, one can repent from it and ask God for forgiveness and ask Him for strength to overcome… I’m talking here from a Christian perspective…”
Because Grech was introduced as a representative of the International Federation for Therapeutic and Counselling Choice (IFTCC), he now faces the possibility of a five-month prison sentence.
At the latest hearing, Dr Mike Davidson, founder of Core Issues Trust and IFTCC, testified in Grech’s defence. He clarified that Grech had never undergone therapy related to his sexuality and was not an insider to such practices.
Davidson described “conversion therapy” as a politicised term used to shut down meaningful dialogue on sexuality, likening it to calling someone a racist to end a conversation.
In a statement, Dr Davidson said:
“The freedoms of speech, conscience and religion are being attacked. The fact is that therapeutic and counselling choice is a fundamental right. Governments promoting monocultural viewpoints – this idea that sexual orientation is inborn and unchangeable, and that gender is unrelated to biological sex – are denying those unwilling to identify as LGBT the right to leave identities and practices no longer relevant to them. This is a human rights issue.”
EU official made police report
It was revealed during proceedings, and reported by Fox News, that Silvan Agius, a senior EU equality official and LGBTQI+ activist, played a central role in initiating legal proceedings against Matthew by filing a police report accusing him of unlawfully advertising “conversion practices.”
Agius, who serves in the cabinet of EU Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli and was instrumental in Malta’s 2016 ban on conversion therapy, filed the complaint alongside activists Cynthia Chircop and Christian Attard.
It appears Matthew has been a marked man in Malta ever since he made headlines in 2018 for telling his story as a contestant on X Factor Malta, Agius — whose current responsibilities as cabinet expert under Dalli include “inclusion, equality and non-discrimination” — called Grech’s story “problematic.”
Giving evidence during proceedings in 2023 before Monica Vella, the magistrate presiding over the case, Mr Agius was asked why he had reported Mr Grech to the police:
“My personal story and my friends,” Mr Agius replied, “I suffered a lot in my youth; in primary school; catholic youth. They did not love me.” He added that “In the EU I am an expert, I work for the equality of others.”
Asked how he had found out about Matthew Grech’s interview on Pm News, he said: “My friends warned me. When someone sees something on the internet, people tell me.”
Continuing, Mr Agius commented on the interview saying: “The programme offends me deeply and it puts me down and many others whether they know it or not.”
Agius gave evidence that he believed PM News had given ‘too much space’ to Mr Grech to tell his story and promote his views and that he had said ‘nothing positive’ about the LGBT community.
Mr Agius added that it is ‘not permissible’ for anyone to say the term ‘ex-gay’ in Malta as it is like ‘a priest describing themselves as ‘ex-heterosexual’ and that discussing the ability to leave a homosexual lifestyle is ‘demoralising talk’ which should not be legal.
Cynthia Chircop, a MGRM activist, also gave evidence and was asked how she knew about Mr Grech’s interview with PMnews:
‘Silvan sent the news’, she replied.
This will happen in the UK
The evidence is therefore clear that Matthew has been aggressively targeted by members of the Malta Gay Rights Movement, who believe that Christian beliefs on marriage and human identity, and any debate surrounding LGBT lifestyles, should be treated as a criminal offence.
Ahead of the ruling, Mr Grech, who says he was shocked when the police called him out of the blue to question him, said: “Anyone who cares about freedom of speech should be alarmed by what is happening to me. If it happens to me in Malta, I assure you that it will soon be happening in the UK and other countries across the world.”
Dr Mike Davidson, IFTCC Chairman, and CEO of Core Issues Trust, said: “In what is probably a test case, the freedoms of speech, conscience and religion are being attacked. The fact is that therapeutic and counselling choice is a fundamental right. Governments promoting monocultural viewpoints – this idea that sexual orientation is inborn and unchangeable, and that gender is unrelated to biological sex – are denying those unwilling to identify as LGBT the right to leave identities and practices no longer relevant to them. This is a human rights issue. Without ideological diversity in any life issue, democracy is denied checks and balances and descends to totalitarianism”.
Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which has advised on and supported Matthew’s case, commented:
“The Prosecution in this case has categorically failed to define what the term ‘conversion therapy’ even means. It’s an imposed term with no real meaning in fact.
“No credible evidence has been presented to justify a ban. Instead, aggressive campaigning has been aimed at criminalising Matthew and others who share his Christian beliefs on human sexuality, marriage, and what it means to be male and female. The aim is to silence dissent.
“It is deeply unjust that Matthew has been criminalised for so long, simply for sharing his personal testimony. In an online interview in Malta, he spoke to a small audience about his joyful conversion to Christ, his voluntary decision to leave behind a homosexual lifestyle. He also responded openly to journalists’ questions about the efficacy and safety of therapy.
“The real threat here is not just to Matthew, but to freedom of speech itself. Even the broadcasters, who were sympathetic to LGBT perspectives and openly challenged Matthew in the discussion, have been prosecuted. That is absurd. For Matthew’s sake, for Malta’s sake, and for the sake of free speech worldwide, I hope the court will acquit him now that the evidence has been fully heard.
“As this case nears its conclusion, advocates for free speech and Christian freedom across Europe are watching closely. The judgment will have implications far beyond Malta’s borders.”
