Why is the Maltese government refusing to provide journalists with the working conditions and institutional protection that would allow them to fully perform their function as watchdogs, the general secretary of the European Federation of Journalists, Ricardo Gutierrez, asked.

In an article written after he took part in activities commemorating the fifth anniversary of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, Gutierrez wrote: “What is Mr Abela afraid of? What does he have to hide?”

He said that he was present at the trial which saw two men change plea to guilty for their part in the plot to kill Caruana Galizia, and in activities that were held over the weekend.

“What I remember from all these moments is the total disregard of the Maltese government, which still does not take the necessary measures to guarantee press freedom and ensure the protection of journalists,” he wrote.

He said the Prime Minister has tabled three bills that are “totally inadequate by European legal standards, but above all, he continues to refuse to associate himself with any public act commemorating the murdered journalist. He also refused to receive our delegation this year,” Gutierrez added.

Five years have passed since the murder but “everything is the same in Malta. The situation is very serious, but the government is reluctant to undertake the necessary democratic reforms in a transparent and participatory manner.”

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