Five years after the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the press is still not free in the EU

Five years have passed since the tragic assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta. On Monday, the European Parliament debated the state of the rule of law in Malta, in particular concerning media freedom and the safety of journalists. The European Parliament’s resolution pays tribute to Daphne and other journalists' work in exposing organised crime, tax fraud and money laundering, and stresses the importance of holding those involved in such illegal activities to account. The resolution will be voted on today. 

Gwendoline Delbos-Corfield, MEP, Greens/EFA co-author of the resolution, comments: 

“The tragic murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia has not only left a long-lasting stain on Malta’s democracy and society, it has also revealed the real state of democracy and media freedom across the whole of the European Union. Since that terrible day five years ago, other courageous journalists investigating corruption cases linked to high-level figures were murdered in other Member States, while numerous others have received threats. The common thread behind these attacks on the press is the link between criminal organisations, politicians and bribery.

So far, nothing has been done to help journalists. In Malta, the police inquiry was blocked, the legislation to protect journalists is still not in place, and most of the SLAPPs that Daphne Caruana Galicia endured during her lifetime are still in place, with the charges not having been dropped. In other Member States, journalists are afraid of being detained or spied on. The press is still not free in the European Union.”