Malta authorities must undertake an unrelenting investigation to find those responsible for Monday鈥檚 murder of well-known investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the International Press Institute (IPI) said today.
Caruana Galizia, 53, a blogger and newspaper columnist who has written extensively about corruption in the European Union鈥檚 smallest member state, was shortly after leaving her home on the country鈥檚 main island.
Most recently, Caruana Galizia had participated in the Panama Papers investigation, publishing alleged links between Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and his wife and hidden offshore bank accounts. Those allegations led to early elections, which Muscat鈥檚 Labour Party won this past June.
In a , Muscat said he condemned 鈥渨ithout reservations this barbaric attack on a person and on the freedom of expression in our country鈥�.
Malta鈥檚 head of state, President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, : 鈥淚n these moments, when the country is shocked by such a vicious attack, I call on everyone to measure their words, to not pass judgment and to show solidarity.鈥�
IPI Executive Director Barbara Trionfi expressed shock over the killing.
鈥淭he murder of a journalist in an EU member state is incredibly disturbing and underscores the dangers journalists everywhere face in their efforts to uncover wrongdoing,鈥� she said.
鈥淢altese authorities must undertake a thorough and unrelenting investigation to determine who was behind this terrible crime and what their motives were and to send a strong signal that crimes aimed at silencing journalists will not go unpunished. In the meantime, we extend our deepest condolences to Daphne Caruana Galizia鈥檚 family, friends and colleagues.鈥�
earlier this year by Politico magazine as a 鈥渙ne-woman WikiLeaks, crusading against untransparency and corruption in Malta鈥�, Caruana Galizia tenacious writing won her various enemies in the country鈥檚 political and business sectors. She was targeted in numerous criminal and civil proceedings over the course of her career, notably for libel.
In an interview with IPI earlier this year, Caruana Galizia reflected on the reactions to her work in Malta, which joined the EU in 2004 and has a population of just 450,000.
鈥淔reedom of expression is very poorly understood in Malta,鈥� she told IPI. 鈥淭he very concept is still strangely novel. The general belief is that people shouldn鈥檛 write things which upset others, and that they should be prevented from doing so.鈥�
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