Maltese authorities have been called on to stop fostering a hostile climate for journalists, end the culture of impunity, and accelerate legal proceedings to bring to justice all those involved in the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia by European Parliament lawmakers on Thursday.
On Thursday, an overwhelming majority of MEPs voted in favour of the resolution, which calls on the Maltese government to desist from using hostile rhetoric against journalists and to stop fostering a climate hostile to journalists and media professionals.
The resolution was adopted with 437 votes in favour,14 votes against and 66 abstentions.
MEP David Casa negotiated the resolution on behalf of the European People’s Party (EPP) with the broad support of several MEPs representing other political groups in the Parliament, including the S&D Group, the Renew Group, the Greens/EFA Group, the ECR Group and the Left Group.
The resolution again urges EU institutions and member countries to prioritise the safety and protection of journalists and media professionals and further calls for prompt compliance with Parliament’s recommendations on safeguarding journalists.
It also underscores journalists’ vital role in revealing the truth, safeguarding democracy, and combating impunity, emphasising the importance of an independent media and active civil society as bedrocks of justice, democracy, and the rule of law.
During Wednesday’s parliamentary debate, MEP David Casa stressed the need to address the lack of rule of law in Malta, noting that Malta was in the same situation six years ago.
“The lives of journalists are most at risk when there is no justice for the crimes they have exposed,” he added.
The EU Parliament’s statement also expresses deep concern at the slow progress of the investigation into Caruana Galizia’s murder, with only three low-level convictions so far.
It also calls on the Maltese authorities to speed up the judicial process to ensure justice. The statement also reiterates the call for a thorough investigation into the core motives behind the murder, underlining the need for continued involvement of Europol in the investigation.
On the side of Renew Europe, MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld, the EU group’s negotiator on the resolution on the rule of law in Malta, said on Wednesday, “six years have passed since the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia”.
“Although there has been a public inquiry, the killers are behind bars, and several reforms have been introduced. The alleged mastermind has not been brought to justice as the reform process is slowing down. Indeed, new corruption scandals have emerged.”
In its resolution, Parliament also underlined that it was appalled by the prime minister’s statement in October that played down institutionalised corruption, saying that such statements perpetuate a culture of impunity for the public officials allegedly involved.
MEPs reiterated their concern at the lack of progress in implementing the recommendations of the Daphne Caruana Galizia public inquiry report two years after its publication. They noted that the Maltese government’s reforms and legislative changes proposal overlooked input from international and national organisations.
Ramona Strugariu (REPER, Romania), one of Renew Europe’s negotiators on the anti-SLAPP report, added: “The root cause of Daphne’s murder and the reason her killers are still free is corruption. Two things need to happen. First, impunity must end, and the criminals must be imprisoned. Second, we owe her and all journalists a strong anti-SLAPP Daphne directive.”
For the second year in a row, the European Parliament has called on the Maltese authorities to withdraw their appeals against a series of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests made by The Shift, outlining how obstacles to media freedom and pluralism persist, including with regard to FOI requests to the government and potentially discriminatory funding of media outlets.
The statement also condemns the pattern of unwarranted secrecy within state institutions regarding information that could be of significant public interest.
(Elizabeth De Gaetano | Theshiftnews.com)
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