The European Parliament president has paid tribute to "courageous" journalists as he paid tribute to slain Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

"I want to express my personal support to all those courageous journalists, men and women who, like Daphne, are forced to sacrifice something in their lives, if not life itself, in search of the most precious possession in our democracies: the truth. The European Parliament must be the guardian of the values of Daphne Caruana Galizia," David Sassoli said in a statement. 

Ms Caruana Galizia was murdered in a car bomb in October 2017. Three men have been charged with her murder but the masterminds remain elusive.

Mr Sassoli said he wanted to encourage and support the work of the judiciary and the Maltese authorities in attempting to shed light on the brutal murder and bring those responsible to justice.

"It is never acceptable to die because you are doing your job," the Italian president said.

"At this moment it is sad but necessary to remember the importance of freedom of expression and the press in democratic countries like ours."

He said it is worrying to think that in the 21st century there is still a need for warnings to defend the rights and freedoms of citizens: these are the foundation of European values and must be recognised and fought for on a daily basis.

Being killed for doing your job is never acceptable and it is "gruesome" to think that, according to data released on World Press Freedom Day, 95 journalists died in 2018 alone.

Furthermore, only one country in four is recognised as ‘free’ by the World Press Freedom Index, despite freedom of the press being the cornerstone of the democratic system.