On the sixth anniversary of the murder of Maltese investigative journalist聽, we, the undersigned organizations, renew our calls for Maltese authorities to bring to justice all those responsible for her killing and to implement in full the recommendations of the聽聽into her assassination.
Caruana Galizia, who rose to prominence through her anti-corruption investigations and blogs, was killed by a car bomb in Malta on October 16, 2017. Three men have been聽聽for the journalist鈥檚 murder and three other suspects聽.
After pressure from the Caruana Galizia family and civil society, a public inquiry was set up in 2019 to investigate the circumstances that led to her death.
In its 2021 report, the public inquiry found the state had to 鈥渟houlder responsibility鈥� for Caruana Galizia鈥檚 murder because it had created an 鈥溾�� and failed to take reasonable steps to protect her. It found that the journalist鈥檚 assassination was聽predictable and preventable due to the collapse of the rule of law in Malta and made detailed recommendations for the authorities, including to create a safer environment for journalists.
For the last two years, our organizations have repeatedly聽聽to the lack of progress in implementing the public inquiry鈥檚 recommendations to safeguard the media and improve journalists鈥� safety.
罢丑别听聽has also repeatedly聽聽the failure of Maltese authorities to address the corruption and abuse of power exposed by Caruana Galizia and other investigative journalists, which still contribute to an environment of insecurity that puts reporters at risk.
Yet again, we call for the聽聽of three proposed laws aimed at improving media safety so as to meet聽聽on the聽, including the government鈥檚 watered-down聽.
Maltese authorities should mark the sixth anniversary of Caruana Galizia鈥檚 death by making unequivocal statements in support of full justice for her murder, committing to implement the public inquiry鈥檚 recommendations, and guaranteeing a transparent consultation on pending legislation with the involvement of international media experts and civil society.
Signed:
ARTICLE 19 Europe
Association of European Journalists
Committee to Protect Journalists
European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
European Federation of Journalists
IFEX
Index on Censorship
International Federation of Journalists
International Press Institute
OBC Transeuropa (OBCT)
PEN International
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
Transparency International EU
馃嚥馃嚬: IPI today marks 6th anniversary of assassination of , pays tribute to her family & colleagues who continue the long fight for justice, & stresses the importance of ending impunity and securing systemic reforms. Statement馃憞
鈥� IPI – The Global Network for Independent Media (@globalfreemedia)