The daughter of a Sicilian judge killed by the Mafia will be addressing a vigil on Saturday to mark the fourth anniversary of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination, which she insisted “can never and will never be forgotten”.

Speaking from the European Parliament, MEP Caterina Chinnici’s personal thoughts for the family of the investigative journalist’s “brutal” murder will be conveyed with “authentic participation”.

Born in Palermo, Chinnici is the daughter of Judge Rocco Chinnici, killed by the Mafia in 1983.

Her career has taken her from Prosecutor General of the Court of Appeal of Caltanissetta and Public Prosecutor at the juvenile court, both there and in Palermo, to an MEP with the Democratic Party since 2014 where she has been a member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.

Chinnici describes Caruana Galizia – “mother and courageous journalist” – as someone who defended with her life the founding values of European democracy, rule of law, freedom of expression and independent press.

She is expected to tell those attending the vigil about a “significant” recent report aimed at strengthening democracy, freedom and pluralism of the media in the EU against the widespread practice of SLAPP suits, used to intimidate through legal action investigative journalists, civil society and NGOs. To put an end to this abuse, the report asks the European Commission to present a law proposal that establishes precise guarantees for investigate journalists.

Chinnici was also a member of the Special Committee on Terrorism, serves as co-chairwoman of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children’s Rights and has published her autobiography È così lieve il tuo bacio sulla fronte.

She is a member of the Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament.

The vigil in honour of Caruana Galizia, whose murder has still to be solved four years later, is being held tomorrow in Great Siege Square, Valletta, at 7.30pm.