Eleven media organisations have penned a letter to Prime Minister Robert Abela urging him to 'recommit' to creating an enabling environment for the Maltese journalist community, through legislative reforms which meet the international standards.
The letter, signed by the 11 organisations, was sent to the Prime Minister a day in advance of the seventh anniversary of the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, to strongly urge him to recommit to creating an enabling environment for Maltese journalists.
The organisations welcomed the move by the Maltese authorities to set up a separate public inquiry in 2019, after pressure from the Caruana Galizia family, to independently examine the responsibility of the Maltese state in her murder.
"The public inquiry found in its report published on 29 July 2021 that her assassination was both predictable and preventable, and pointed to the responsibility of the state for her death, a collapse in the rule of law, and the failure of the authorities to take measures to protect her," the organisations said.
It said that Abela's government did embark on several reforms, including proposed legislation on journalist safety and Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP).
"However, our organizations have voiced concern that these legislative texts were not effectively open to scrutiny from media experts or did not meet international standards, rendering them potentially ineffective at protecting journalists who need support in the future," the organisations said.
They continued that the state has not taken any action on implementing many of the recommendations of the public inquiry.
The organisations said that they are closely following legal proceedings against the alleged mastermind of the killing, and the alleged bomb suppliers, acknowledging that seven people have admitted to or were sentenced for complicity in her murder so far.
"The judicial completion of the case by the Maltese authorities, in tandem with actions taken by your government to improve the space for Maltese journalists, will have a wider resonance in Europe, including with press freedom groups, and the institutions of the European Union and the Council of Europe," the 11 organisations said.
The letter read that The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation has repeatedly denounced how the failure of Maltese authorities to address the corruption and abuse of power that Caruana Galizia and other Maltese journalists investigated, and continue to investigate, still contributes to an environment of insecurity and uncertainty for journalists.
"To mark the anniversary of Caruana Galizia's murder, we hope that you can recommit to fully implementing the recommendations from the public inquiry and guarantee that pending legislative measures will at minimum meet international standards," the organisations said.
They added that the reforms must be conducted transparently and with the technical assistance of international media experts and the full participation of civil society.
The letter was signed by ARTICLE 19 Europe, Committee to Protect Journalists, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the International Press Institute (IPI), Media Diversity Institute, OBC Transeuropa (OBCT), PEN International, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Society of Journalists Warsaw, and Transparency International EU.