Organisations call on government to recommit to creating safe environment for journalists

Ahead of the anniversary of the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, organisations call on government to ensure legislative reforms to protect journalists while carrying out their duties are enacted

By: maltatoday.com

Oct 15 2024
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Organisations call on governm

In a joint statement ahead of the anniversary of Daphne Caruana Galizia's assassination, several organizations have called on the government to recommit to creating a safe environment for journalists in Malta.

The groups acknowledged the government’s decision to establish a separate public inquiry in 2019, which came following pressure from Caruana Galizia’s family. The inquiry aimed to investigate the Maltese state’s responsibility in her murder.

The inquiry’s report, published on July 29, 2021, concluded that her assassination was both foreseeable and preventable. It cited state responsibility, a breakdown in the rule of law, and the authorities’ failure to take measures to protect the journalist.

Following the inquiry, the Maltese government proposed several reforms, including legislation on journalist safety and on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs).

However, the organisations have raised concerns that these legislative proposals were not subjected to adequate scrutiny by media experts and do not meet international standards.

This, they argue, could render the reforms ineffective in safeguarding journalists in the future. Furthermore, they noted that many of the public inquiry’s recommendations have yet to be implemented.

“In October 2022, our organisations welcomed the conviction of two hitmen and acknowledged that, so far, seven people have admitted to or were sentenced for complicity in her killing and that criminal proceedings are underway against three suspects. We continue to closely follow the legal proceedings against the alleged mastermind of the killing and the alleged bomb suppliers,” the organisations said.

The judicial completion of the case by the Maltese authorities, in tandem with actions taken by the government to improve the space for Maltese journalists, will have a wider resonance in Europe, including with press freedom groups, and the institutions of the European Union and the Council of Europe, they said.

“The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation has repeatedly denounced how the failure of Maltese authorities to address the corruption and abuse of power that Daphne and other Maltese journalists investigated, and continue to investigate, still contributes to an environment of insecurity and uncertainty for journalists,” they said. “To mark the anniversary of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder, we hope that you can recommit to fully implementing the recommendations from the public inquiry and guarantee that pending legislative measures will at minimum meet international standards, and that reforms will be conducted transparently and with the technical assistance of international media experts and the full participation of civil society.”

The letter was signed by: ARTICLE 19 Europe, Committee to Protect Journalists, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), International Press Institute (IPI), Media Diversity Institute, OBC Transeuropa (OBCT), PEN International, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Society of Journalists, Warsaw amd Transparency International EU.