The Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) said today it regrets that more than 16 months after the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta in October 2017, the Maltese authorities have not yet accepted a public inquiry.

In a statement on Woman’s Day, the PEC urged the Maltese authorities to find the masterminds of this heinous organized crime and to bring them to justice.

The PEC said it agreed with the Special Rapporteur that many women defenders often face additional and different risks that men and obstacles that are shaped by entrenched gender stereotypes.

As stated in the Report, in particular women journalists face high risks, often because, exposing issues and challenging those in power, they are highly visible. The PEC condemned in 2018 the murder of 7 women journalists. The previous year, in 2017 a record figure of 16 women journalists were killed.

The PEC said it is also very concerned that in the Philippines, award-winning journalist Maria Ressa, chief executive officer of the news website Rappler, has been indicted in what is considered political persecution in response to critical reporting on the Government.

In a number of countries like Afghanistan, India, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Mexico, Colombia, women journalists are at high risks. They face non-recognition, marginalization, systematic exclusion, public shaming, stigmatization, attacks on honor and reputation, threats and attacks in the private sphere, online harassment, denial of participation, censorship.

The PEC called upon all Members of the Human Rights Council to implement the recommendations of the Special Rapporteur in order to better protect women defenders, especially women journalists.