Coordinated by the Media Freedom Rapid Response, a coalition of international freedom of expression and media freedom organisations filed a submission to the Public Inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

"Since its establishment in December 2019, our organisations have closely monitored and participated in the work of the independent Board of Inquiry, including by providing in person testimony and observing the proceedings."

The submission details Malta's relevant international obligations to uphold freedom of expression, the threats Daphne Caruana Galizia faced during her lifetime which paved the way for her assassination and continuing threats to the safety of journalists in Malta.

The organisations highlight a number of cases that took place in Malta, including SLAPP lawsuit threats, legal harassment, issues relating to safety of journalists in general.

One such case, among many others mentioned, dealt with this newsroom. "In January 2020, Office of the Prime Minister consultant Tony Zarb branded The Malta Independent's reporters as "political terrorists", following their attempt to take a comment from disgraced former prime minister and MP Joseph Muscat, as he left parliament. Muscat refused to give a comment. The Malta Independent had been trying to get a comment from Muscat about his presence at a meeting between the current prime minister, Robert Abela, and Steward Healthcare, a company embroiled in a questionable deal signed with Muscat's government. As a former trade union official, Zarb has some influence on public opinion, particularly supporters of Joseph Muscat."

In their submission, the organisations state that the inquiry's work is vital to the non-repetition of attacks against journalists and is essential for ensuring reparations for the victim, her family and Maltese society.

The organisations said: "It is our hope that the evidence gathered by the Public Inquiry will prevent other journalists being killed in Malta and beyond. The findings of the Public Inquiry may therefore be of global importance in battling impunity for crimes against journalists. In particular in the jurisdiction of the European Convention on Human Rights on which the Public Inquiry is based, the Public Inquiry may establish a crucial precedent for ensuring justice for assassinated journalists"

The submission was authored by Article 19 and supported by Reporters without Borders, Pen International, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, Free Press Unlimited, ifex, IPI, Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropa, Center for International Cooperation