A raft of leading international and freedom of speech organisations have appealed to southern EU leaders congregating in Malta tomorrow to uphold the values of the Sibiu Declaration which they have all signed and through which they have pledged to safeguard Europe's democratic values and the rule of law.
Along these lines, they have called on them to urge Prime Minister Joseph Muscat tomorrow to institute a long-demanded public inquiry into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
They have urged them to address the matter of safety of journalists and ongoing impunity in the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia in their meeting with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat in Valletta tomorrow.
In a hard-hitting letter sent to French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the groups cite the "ongoing impunity in the case of assassinated journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia" and call on EU leaders to bring the subject up with Prime Minister Muscat.
The organisations refer to the report by Special Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Pieter Omtzigt, 'Daphne Caruana Galizia's assassination and the rule of law, in Malta and beyond: ensuring that the whole truth emerges', by the Special Rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Pieter Omtzigt, which had been adopted by the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee meeting in Paris on 29 May 2019.
The report, they remind the southern EU leaders, "highlights a series of concerns relating to the investigation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, and Malta is requested to establish an independent and impartial public inquiry within three months to determine whether the state could have prevented the assassination - a call we have made repeatedly."
The Committee noted fundamental weaknesses in Malta's system of democratic checks and balances, seriously undermining the rule of law. This is an alarming situation, particularly in a Council of Europe and European Union member state. The Maltese authorities are called upon to take steps to end the prevailing climate of impunity.
The organisations add, "So far, the Maltese government has blocked a public inquiry, leaving journalists continuing to work in Malta at great risk and forcing Galizia's family to litigate the Prime Minister's refusal to hold a public inquiry into the assassination. Only a public inquiry can determine how best to guarantee the safety of journalists and prevent future attacks. The Venice COmmission on Malta states Malta's positive obligations in relation to the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
"A public inquiry is the only process that can effectively address these positive obligations. The call for a public inquiry is supported by a resolution by the European Parliament which requests the Maltese government to launch a public inquiry, and calls on the EU institutions and the Member States to initiate an independent international public inquiry into the murder and the alleged cases of corruption, financial crimes, money laundering, fraud and tax evasion reported by the journalist."
The letter was signed by:
Dr Lutz Kinkel, Managing Director, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom
Sarah Clarke, Head of Europe and Central Asia, ARTICLE 19
Annie Game, Executive Director, IFEX
Joy Hyvarinen, Head of Advocacy, Index on Censorship
Ravi R. Prasad, Director of Advocacy, International Press Institute
Carles Torner, Executive Director, PEN International and
Rebecca Vincent, UK Bureau Director, Reporters Without Borders