A Christian convert from the European island of Malta who repented of his homosexual lifestyle has been found not guilty of charges claiming that he advertised “conversion therapy” practices.
In 2022, Matthew Grech participated in an interview during which he discussed his Christian testimony, which involved leaving behind his homosexual lifestyle, per a March 4 report from Premier Christian News.
But as a result, he faced five months in prison under a law passed in Malta against so-called “conversion therapy.”
The statute, known as the “Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender, and Gender Expression Act,” banned practices turning people away from homosexual and transgender lifestyles.
It was passed in 2016 and soon became a model for other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Australia, as they weighed similar laws.
Grech was therefore accused by prosecutors in Malta, an island nation in the Mediterranean south of Sicily, of “advertising conversion therapy.”
BREAKING: Victory for Matthew Grech as ex-gay Christian found not guilty in ‘conversion practices’ trial
“For three years, my life has been turned upside down, not for harming anyone, not for inciting hatred, not for breaking the law, but for sharing my personal testimony…” pic.twitter.com/BlvR0ElPU0
— Christian Concern (@CConcern) March 4, 2026
But his attorneys at the Christian Legal Centre argued that his comments during the interview were merely a personal religious testimony, not advocacy of “conversion therapy” as defined by the law.
They also noted that Grech’s freedom of expression was under threat by the prosecution.
Grech thanked God that “justice has prevailed” outside court after he was declared not guilty, marking the end of a years-long legal battle.
“From the very beginning, I have been clear that I committed no crime,” he said.
“I was never guilty of anything except speaking openly about my own life, about my spiritual journey to becoming a Christian, and the profound difference and freedom that my faith has made in every aspect of who I am.”
Grech added, “For three long years, my life has been turned completely upside down, not for harming anyone, not for inciting hatred, not for breaking the law, but for sharing my personal testimony of hope and renewal on a podcast.”
He noted that “speaking about one’s lived experience, including the transforming power of Christ, is not a crime.”
Beyond its rich Christian heritage — continued today through citizens like Grech — Malta appears in the book of Acts as the place where the apostle Paul was shipwrecked on his way to Rome.
Also like Grech, Paul was a living testimony of God’s grace in salvation, as he was a notorious persecutor of the early Christians before the risen Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus.
“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost,” Paul later testified in his first letter to Timothy.
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