Italian journalist Nello Scavo has highlighted that his court case against Neville Gafa should be seen as a reform to the principle of freedom of expression.
On Thursday, Scavo, along with members of Civil Society NGO Repubblika and the Istitut Gurnalisti Maltin (IGM) addressed a press conference outside the law courts on media freedom in Malta.
“No one can tell a journalist that they will stop them. Journalists can be heavily criticised, but no one has the power to tell them that they will stop them from doing their job. My case is not simply against one person, but should be a reform to the principle of freedom of expression.”
Back in August it was announced that, Neville Gafa, a close personal friend of former OPM chief of staff Keith Schembri was to be charged in court for threatening Scavo.
Police had questioned Gafa over a tweet he posted on 27 June, in which he warned Scavo, “Stop your dirty business. If not we will be stopping you.” Scavo is an investigative journalist whose main focus is on the Mediterranean migration crisis. He has frequently criticised Malta on its handling of the migration crisis.
Gafa said that his post had no intention of threatening Scavo and that police action came about after “enormous pressure” was placed on the Maltese authorities, including by the Italian embassy in Malta.
‘Daphne Caruana Galizia is an inspiration to everyone in Europe’
Scavo explained to journalists that since October of last year he has been given police protection because of threats he has received from Libya; from human traffickers, oil smugglers and weapon smugglers.
“I am not new to threats unfortunately, but I am surprised that I received threats from a person (Gafa) in public office from a European country, a country which is still suffering the after effects of what happened to journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.”
He said that he is grateful that the Maltese magistrate and institutions have taken on the investigations on his threats.
Scavo spoke about how Caruana Galizia has inspired many young people in Italy, and that her writing is a constant presence in Italian journalism. “Italian journalists remember her sacrifice and many youths are studying the articles she wrote, which are a model of what free journalism should be. Daphne never gave up, despite all the pressure she received and not having the right protection.”
He said that he knew what it was like to be a journalist who lives in a country where criminals and the corrupt have a strong power over politicians and the system.
“Daphne is an inspiration to everyone in Europe.”
‘We stand by Nello Scavo and all journalists who strive to reveal the truth’ - Repubblika
President of Repubblika Robert Aquilina stressed that without the hard work of journalists such as Scavo, many would not know about the hardship, exploitation and abuse many migrants left at sea face.
“Not everyone is like Nello Scavo, not everyone has the courage or will to live with such threats they receive, and many are scared, leaving us sometimes not knowing the full truth. We are here to stand by Nello Scavo and all journalists who strive to reveal the truth.”
Aquilina said that Neville Gafa is not new to threatening journalists, and he mentioned that just a day before Caruana Galizia was murdered, Gafa published pictures of her which show the harassment and oppression she had to live with until her last day.
“Repubblika was born after Daphne’s killing, and our only regret is that we showed up too late for her, but now we will not make the same mistake, and that is why every day we remember Daphne Caruana Galizia.”
He said that journalists in Malta face serious danger, and that if they do their job as well as Caruana Galizia did, they expect to be killed, and that journalists in Malta have no protection whatsoever.
“The government continues to leave the charge of isolating and criticising journalists. Questions from investigative journalists are ignored and most thugs are systematically recruited to to threaten them online.”
‘We have been raised to not realise that threatening journalists is an attack on the fundamental right of freedom of expression’- IGM
“We have become inured to a climate of machismo where threatening journalists is not seen as an attack on the fundamental rights of freedom of expression,” explained IGM President Sylvana Debono.
She recalled that the 2020 Reporters without Borders ranked Malta in the 81st place in press freedom ranking, and that in the past three years Malta has continued to fall in disgrace.
She spoke about the importance of the Daphne Caruana Galizia memorial, which is placed on the Great Siege of Malta monument. She said that time and time again her memorial has been cleared and deemed inappropriate, yet in reality the statues which represent Faith, Fortitude and Wisdom are also reflected in Caruana Galizia.
“Daphne had faith, faith in the truth, in natural justice and faith in people of common decency. Daphne had the fortitude born of integrity, of commitment to service, of grounded professionalism. And wisdom? Did she have wisdom? Well judging by the standards we see about us, where advancement is tied to a congenital lack of spine, where distraction with ephemera is hailed at being positive and where there is talk that the national anthem may be substituted by the song ‘Let it go’… then by those standards, she was not wise for she was the absolute opposite.”
Debono highlighted that Caruana Galizia dealt with threats, insults and bullying from keyboard warriors. “We are living in the time ‘Shut up so you won’t be counted’, and we are living at a time when we are redefining what is right into what is right for me. If I’m all right, Jack, then let the immigrants die, let the crooks plunder and let the murderers get away with it.”
She highlighted that this is not the life of a journalists, and instead journalists continue fighting for the truth and not giving up “because she never did.”