Journalists turned up in droves in Valletta this afternoon to manifest their solidarity following the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia on Monday.

The journalists gathered on the Spanish steps opposite the Parliament building, where a declaration was read in Maltese and English in which the journalists condemned the killing and pledged to continue their work “without fear”.

They then walked in silence towards the law courts, opposite of which an impromptu memorial for the slain journalist was set up at the Great Siege monument. It was then announced that the Institute of Maltese Journalists, with the backing of all media houses, had filed a court application for the investigators to protect Caruana Galizia’s sources.

In the course of their investigation, officers will be looking through the journalist’s computer and mobile data, and the court application requests the inquiring magistrate Antonio Vella to make sure that this data is protected.

The application was filed by Dr Stefano Filletti.

 

Below is the full text of the journalists' declaration:

We stand here to condemn this barbaric act which not only destroyed the life of a journalist colleague but tried to stifle the right to freedom of expression. We are gathered here to express solidarity with Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family.

This is one of the most despicable acts ever carried out in this country. Nobody deserves to die for exercising their right to speak.

We stand here today to give hope to society. This attack on one of us will not stop us from shining a light where others want darkness, the attack on one of us will not muzzle us, the attack on one of us will not stop us from fulfilling our role as a watchdog to the institutions. We will stand up to intimidation, whoever it’s coming from.

We are sure this country’s citizens understand the importance of upholding and promoting a free and open press. 

Yes, we will keep calling for responsible journalism, but we reiterate - it is the authorities' responsibility to help promote press freedom, to provide access to information, and to stop tolerating incitement against a free media. Ultimately, this is about the rule of law and criminal networks eliminating their critics.

And finally, to the cowards who carried out this attack, our message is one and clear: we will not stop. We will not be afraid.