Justice delayed in Caruana Galizia case sends ‘dangerous’ message - NGOs

The lengthy time taken by the court to confirm the guilty verdict against the Maksar gang for its involvement in the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia sent a “dangerous” message, the journalists’ institute and three NGOs said.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM), the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, Repubblika, and PEN Malta welcomed the court’s judgment but noted that this decision, nine years after Caruana Galizia's murder, was “an indictment of how slow and difficult the road to justice has been”.

“When crimes against journalists go unpunished or are resolved only after many years, it sends a dangerous signal that silencing reporters is possible,” they said.

Last week, Robert Agius and Jamie Vella lost an appeal against the life prison sentences handed down to them last year, after a jury found them guilty of involvement in Caruana Galizia’s murder in 2017.

In the same case, Vella, alongside Adrian Agius and George Degiorgio, also lost an appeal against life sentences for their involvement in the murder of lawyer Carmel Chircop in 2015.

Degiorgio was also convicted of the murder of Caruana Galizia, but in a separate trial.

The statement thanked prosecutors, investigators and the courts for their work, stressing that the convictions reinforced the principle that those who attack journalists cannot expect to act with impunity.

"Justice delayed in cases of murdered journalists is not a procedural detail but a State failure that weighs heavily on families, colleagues and on society’s commitment to press freedom,” the organisations said.

It also noted that related court proceedings connected to Caruana Galizia’s murder are still ongoing and appealed for these to be allowed to proceed without further delay.

Tied to this, they added that most of the recommendations made by the public inquiry into the death of Caruana Galizia have not been implemented. 

“When accountability takes nearly a decade, it raises serious and lasting concerns about the safety of journalists, the strength of the rule of law and the State’s commitment to media freedom,” they said.

They stressed that justice is not only about punishing the perpetrators, but about safeguarding press freedom and the public's right to know.

"Ending impunity for Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination is crucial. Nothing less than complete accountability for everyone involved in this crime will honour Daphne’s memory, uphold the principles of a free and independent press, and ensure that no journalist in Malta is harmed or killed ever again," it said.

A group of international media freedom and journalists’ organisations also welcomed the confirmation of the guilty verdicts and said it represented an important win in the fight against impunity.