According to a statement by the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation published on Saturday 29 July 2023 ” The public inquiry into Daphne’s assassination is unprecedented, setting a standard for a full investigation into a journalist’s murder, but Malta has still not redressed the systemic failures that enabled Daphne’s contract killing. The Maltese State is obliged to overhaul its laws, institutions, and systems of decision-taking to ensure that no journalist is ever killed again. Yet, two years after receiving the final report of the public inquiry, the only recommendation the government has implemented is the setting up of a Committee of Experts to advise it on reforms.”
Outlined in a comprehensive 437-page report, the inquiry affirmed that while there was no direct evidence implicating the State in the murder, a culture of impunity had germinated within the highest tiers of power. The report’s damning conclusion asserted that this impunity stemmed from the upper echelons of the administration, affecting regulatory bodies and the Police, which led to the erosion of the Rule of Law.
The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation stated that ” an enabling and safe environment for journalists can only exist if Malta’s legislative and administrative framework ends impunity for corruption and the abuse of power, but years after Daphne exposed the corruption that paved the way to her murder there are still no prosecutions for the corruption itself… Malta urgently needs extensive reforms if journalists are to work without fearing for their lives. Perpetuating the State failures that enabled Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination leaves other lives in danger. Unless those systemic failures are eliminated, it is only a matter of time before someone else is killed”.
Daphne Anne Caruana Galizia, born as Daphne Anne Vella in Sliema, was a Maltese writer, blogger, journalist, and anti-corruption activist, killed 2017. She lost her life on 17 October, 2017, when a car bomb detonated near her home in Bidnija, Malta. Known for her fearless reporting on corruption, organized crime, and political wrongdoing, Galizia’s death sent shockwaves through the journalism community and beyond. Her work had exposed deep-seated issues within Malta’s institutions, revealing a culture of impunity and abuse of power.
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