European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has paid tribute to Rose Vella on the third anniversary of her death, remembering the mother of murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia as a symbol of courage, dignity and resilience.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Metsola said Rose Vella died "still waiting for justice for her murdered daughter", adding that she and the entire Caruana Galizia family had been in her thoughts, particularly in recent days as Malta continues to follow court proceedings related to the journalist's assassination.

"Today marks three years since Rose Vella passed away. She died still waiting for justice for her murdered daughter, Daphne," Metsola wrote.

Reflecting on the nearly decade-long search for justice following Caruana Galizia's murder in October 2017, Metsola said the journalist's family had been forced to lead a campaign that "they should never have been forced to do", describing their fight as one that should have been unnecessary in a country governed by the rule of law.

Despite the years since her death, Metsola said it is Daphne Caruana Galizia's life and work that continue to define her legacy.

"It is how Daphne lived that will be remembered. What she stood for. Her wit, her sharp pen that was always mightier than their swords," Metsola wrote, also recalling the journalist's investigations, commentary, her love of her garden and the pride she took in her children's achievements.

Metsola also reflected on the lasting impact of the assassination on the journalist's family, saying she had thought of Caruana Galizia's three sons, who were "forced to become men without her", her grandchildren "who will never know her", and her father, who continues to seek justice.

She reserved particular tribute for Rose Vella, describing her as a woman of "quiet stoicism" and "courage under unimaginable pressure".

"Think of her too," Metsola wrote. "Of her quiet stoicism, of her courage under unimaginable pressure, of her purple scarves and how a soft-spoken grandmother could embody the best of our country."

Rose Vella died in August 2023, nearly six years after the assassination of her daughter. Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed in a car bomb attack near her home in Bidnija on 16 October 2017, a murder that shocked Malta and drew international condemnation.