Malta: Four Years On, Daphne Caruana Galizia Awaits Justice - CFWIJ Demands Action Against Masterminds, Killers

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Date: October 1, 2021

Four years ago today, on October 16, 2017, Malta’s renowned journalist Daphne Caruana Galiza was assassinated by a powerful car bomb outside her Bidnjia home. Since then, seven men have been arrested or implicated for their involvement in the cold-blooded killing, five of them have entered some sort of plea bargain, and a public inquiry report has held the state responsible. The Coalition For Women In Journalism (CFWIJ) has documented the ongoing investigation and trials. We demand legal action against the masterminds, killers and facilitators, of all involved, in the pre-meditated murder. Four years on, we honour the legacy of Malta’s “one-woman WikiLeaks”.

As Malta’s most well-known and most widely-read journalist, Daphne, was a powerful voice. She covered stories on corruption in the Maltese political system and her reportage frequently shaped the national discourse. Her most sensational and final story led to her assassination and prime minister Joseph Muscat's ouster in 2019. His close associates have been implicated in both - the story and the killing but the former PM has denied allegations against him. 

Known as Malta’s one-woman WikiLeaks, Daphne investigated money laundering stories involving politicians and business leaders named in Panama papers, at home and abroad. The number of readers on Daphne’s blog exceeded Malta’s population. 

In August 2016, Daphne reported that the Maltese government had signed a shady deal, a 30-year-long contract of two billion euros for public hospital management, with an untested new outfit called Vitals Global Healthcare. The company had no records of health administration.

A year later, in February, 2017, economy minister Chris Cardona sued Daphne and filed precautionary warrants against her assets over the brothel gate scandal. The judge upheld the minister's request and froze Daphne’s bank accounts even before the case was heard.

Frequently holding the echelons of power accountable, she faced multiple forms of harassment and threats during her career. Once, the door of her house was set on fire. In another instance, her dog was found with his throat slit. “There are crooks everywhere you look now, the situation is desperate,” she wrote on her blog half an hour before her murder. The quote became seminal. 

Public Inquiry 

Four years after her assasination, investigations have continued and the perpetrators are yet to be convicted. 

A public inquiry into Daphne’s killin held the state responsible for her death as it created a culture of impunity. 

"The state should shoulder responsibility for the assassination," read the 437- page report published on July 2021. After conducting 93 sittings and 120 witness testimonies, the report concluded that the state had "created an atmosphere of impunity, generated by the highest echelons". 

It found that all evidence examined during the inquiry led to the conclusion that the assassination was linked to her investigative work. It also found that the Maltese state had failed to recognise the risks to Daphne’s life and failed to protect her. 

Presidential Pardon in Exchange for Information 

In late March 2021, George and Alfred Degiorgio, two brothers arrested and accused of planting the car bomb that claimed Daphne’s life, requested a presidential pardon in exchange for information.  

Alfred Degiorgio gave the name of a former minister, who allegedly planned the murder and acted as middleman, in exchange for immunity. His brother, George Degiorgio, claimed he could provide information regarding two unsolved bomb-related crimes. 

The Degiorgios were named in the testimony of Vincent Muscat, who pled guilty on February 23, 2021, to not just murder, but also possession of explosives, placing the bomb, and criminal conspiracy. Muscat was sentenced to fifteen years in jail, a relatively lenient sentence because of his cooperation with the police. He was also ordered to pay 42,930 euros (around $52,000) in court expenses.

Seven men have been either arrested or charged for their involvement in the pre-meditated murder, including property and energy tycoon Yorgen Fenech, as well as Melvin Theuma, a taxi driver who confessed to being a middleman. Five of them have entered some sort of deal with the state in exchange for leniency in their sentencing.

“Shaping, Shaking and Stirring” Europe

The CFWIJ joins the journalist community worldwide in honouring Daphne’s memory. Named by Politico as one of 28 Europeans who are “shaping, shaking and stirring” in 2017 the journalist has received several accolades in life and death.

In October 2020, the European Parliament agreed to create a new award in Daphne's honor. 

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize For Journalism, which is worth €20,000, will be given to “distinguish outstanding journalism revolving around the principles and values of the European Union,” according to a statement from the Greens group. 

This year, the Pegasus Project by Forbidden Stories was handed the first The Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize For Journalism. An independent panel of journalists, whose reporting is aligned with the values of the European Charter of Human Rights, was on the selection committee. 

Daphne was posthumously co-awarded the 2020 Allard Prize for International Integrity in recognition of her leadership and commitment to protecting human rights and combating corruption.

Recognizing her powerful legacy, those disturbed by her fierce reporting have continued their hate campaigns against her. Of the labels used against her “saħħara [witch] has been one of the worst. The CFWIJ condemns acts intended to tarnish Daphne’s life and work. 

In February, Caroline Muscat, founder of The Shift stated that “Malta was one of the few countries where State-sponsored trolling was proven and continued unchecked through the Labour Party’s online hatred Facebook groups against murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia”. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism has called upon the Maltese government and judiciary to thoroughly investigate these “secret” online hate groups and act in a way to protect the reputation of a prominent journalist who was murdered brutally. The CFWIJ thanks Daphne for her commitment to uncover the truth. We laud her bravery and demand justice. Those behind the assasination must be brought to justice. Daphne’s life and death stand as a testament to the power of independent, investigative journalism.

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.