A Maltese court has cleared a Christian man who spent more than three years fighting criminal charges after publicly sharing his testimony about leaving a homosexual lifestyle.
Matthew Grech, 36, was found not guilty Wednesday of violating Malta’s law against “advertising conversion practices,” bringing an end to a legal dispute that began in 2022.
Authorities had charged Grech under Article 3 of Malta’s Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender and Gender Expression Act, accusing him of promoting so-called conversion practices. The case forced him to appear in court 17 times and carried potential penalties of a €5,000 fine or up to five months in prison.
The charges stemmed from an April 2022 interview Grech gave to the independent outlet PMnews Malta, where he discussed his views on the growing number of conversion therapy bans in Western countries.
During that interview, Grech spoke about his earlier struggles with sexuality and masculinity. He described how he had engaged in same-sex relationships before becoming a Christian and later repenting of that behavior.
Following the interview, prosecutors charged both Grech and the two PMnews Malta journalists who conducted the conversation under Malta’s law prohibiting the promotion of conversion therapy.
The outlet later reported that the police complaint leading to the charges was filed by Silvan Agius, a Maltese LGBT activist who helped draft the legislation in question.
Christian Attard, a founding member of the Malta LGTBIQ Rights Movement who has served on the European Commission on Sexual Orientation Law, and Cynthia Chircop, the organization’s co-chair, were also reportedly involved in the complaint.
After the ruling, Grech said he hopes the decision will help safeguard freedom for others across Europe who wish to share similar testimonies, while noting that the law used against him remains in force.
“It is a big day, and I'm very thankful that the court, the Maltese court, decided for freedom of speech,” he said. “The Maltese court decided for freedom of religion, and has announced that I had every right to share my Christian views around sexuality and gender, and to mention organizations that are helping Christians to live consistently with their belief system.”
Grech also urged the European Commission to ensure that legislation banning conversion therapy “will have no place in Europe,” warning that such laws could be used to silence opposing viewpoints.
“It doesn't matter what these laws say. All that matters is that activists will use these laws to target any dissenting view around sexuality and gender,” he said.
