To honor the memory of Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was murdered two years ago, and to renew his appeal for justice, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has returned to Malta. During this mission, which took place from October 14 to 16, RSF issued a report, attended posthumous defamation hearings and met with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and other senior officials. RSF remains engaged in the pursuit of the justice process for Daphne Caruana Galizia until all those involved in the murder are judged – and in the first place by the sponsors.
RSF returned to Malta on the occasion of the two-year anniversary of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia on October 16, 2019. RSF Secretary General Christophe Deloire and RSF’s United Kingdom Office Director Rebecca Vincent are in the country to renew calls for justice and stress the need for concrete action in the face of the general deterioration of the climate of freedom of the press in Malta.
On 15 October, Christophe Deloire and Rebecca Vincent met with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Foreign Minister Carmelo Abela, Justice Minister Owen Bonnici and Attorney General Peter Grech. RSF welcomed this opportunity to have had frank and lively exchanges on the measures to be taken to improve the press freedom situation in Malta.
“I remember a huge crowd gathered in the streets of Valletta to support press freedom, as was the case in Paris after the Charlie Hebdo massacre, and in Bratislava after the murder of Jan Kuciak and his fiancee, said Christophe Deloire. Following the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the government could have been expected to take proactive measures to protect journalists and launch a major plan for press freedom in the country. But the authorities have, on the contrary, adopted a defensive attitude. The time has come to change strategy. Better late than never. “
RSF emphasized the urgent need for justice for the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia and the equally crucial need to bring this case forward with the implementation of a fully independent and impartial public inquiry – as well as the asked the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe – without further delay. RSF also called for the prosecution of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s defamation of libel to be dropped and for the government to authorize a commemoration in his honor in Valletta. The organization emphasized the need for protection of journalists and called for an end to attacks on independent media, in particular The Shift News .
RSF also launched a new landmark report at a press conference in Valletta on 15 October. Christophe Deloire and Rebecca Vincent spoke alongside the Council’s representative for freedom of the media within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Harlem Désir, and the director of the Justice for Journalists Foundation, Maria Ordzhonikidze. The report, “Delays in Justice: The Killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia and the Deterioration of the Climate of Press Freedom in Malta” is a co-publication of RSF and The Shift News , which has been supported by the Justice for Journalists Foundation. The full report can be downloaded from the link below.
On October 14, Rebecca Vincent attended hearings of numerous cases of defamation in the Valetta court, including charges brought by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, against Daphne Caruana Galizia and his son, Matthew Caruana Galizia, as well as cases initiated by Prime Minister Keith Schembri’s chief of staff and former Central Bank deputy governor Alfred Mifsud are posthumously underway. Prosecutorial hearings by the prime minister and his chief of staff – who have not been to court – have been postponed to 9 December. Alfredd Misfud gave a brief testimony, and defense counsel deferred his right to cross-examine him at the next hearing scheduled for 20 January.
“The fact that the hearings of these vexatious defamation cases take place on the eve, day to day, of the anniversary of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia is a shame. Rather than maintain these lawsuits to pressure his bereaved family, the Prime Minister and other officials would be better off abandoning them and focusing their efforts on the real justice enterprise for Daphne Caruana Galizia, “said the director of the office. RSF United Kingdom, Rebecca Vincent.
RSF will participate in the demonstration of 16 October in tribute to Daphne Caruana Galizia, during which Christophe Deloire and Rebecca Vincent are to make a speech. RSF is also scheduled to take part in the vigils organized on 16 October in London, Brussels, Berlin and Vienna.
Malta ranks 77th out of 180 countries inRSF’s 2019 World Press Freedom Index , after falling 30 places in the last two years.
Copyright ©2016, Reporters Without Borders. Used with the permission of Reporters Without Borders, CS 90247 75083 Paris Cedex 02 https://rsf.org
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