Both artists and journalists should enjoy freedom of expression, Culture Minister José Herrera said on Friday, in a reaction to the courts' decision to throw out a libel suit over an article linking an actor to Nazism.

On Thursday, actor and activist Pia Zammit lost a libel suit over a front-page story published by it-Torċa last year which featured a photo of Zammit posing with swastikas during a comedy production.

The photo was taken backstage during rehearsals for a theatrical production of the wartime comedy ’Allo ’Allo, a popular BBC sitcom of the 1970s, staged at the Manoel Theatre back in 2009.

The court said that when posing, the actress had subjected herself to criticism, especially since the sufferings caused by Nazism were still imprinted in the memories of members of society.

Several have flagged their concern about a "dangerous precedent" set by the judgement, while actors expressed their support for Zammit on social media.

Late on Friday, Herrera said he was studying the court sentence and that he shared the general sentiment that artists should have all the necessary space to express their opinion. 

While the minister refrained from commenting on the case itself, he compared artists to journalists and said both were important for a healthy democracy.

"I do believe that artists should be able to speak freely, much like journalists. Journalists should have absolute liberty to speak - what would we do without the strength they add to our democracy?

“In the same way, artists are a medium of expression that strengthens liberty and good governance in the country,” he said.

Herrera, who is a lawyer by profession, said he would not comment on the merits of this particular judgement, as it could still be appealed and he did not want to appear to be pressuring the courts.