A collection of new poems dedicated to slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was released by PEN International, in conjunction with PEN Malta, to commemorate the journalist’s dedication to freedom of expression.
PEN International president Jennifer Clement said the poetry memorial is “a tribute to Daphne’s courage and her fearlessness”.
The front cover of the poetry collection designed by Hossam Fazulla.“As we continue to honour her memory and bravery, we are reminded of the shocking and relentless harassment and threats she and her family have had to endure, which continue to this day,” Clement said.
“Caruana Galizia was targeted because of her work, because she dared to express her opinions, and because she refused to be silenced. She stood up against the highest levels of corruption and paid the ultimate price.”
Speaking to Times of Malta, Aurélia Dondo, Europe Programme coordinator at PEN International, said that PEN’s poetry memorial is a testament to the impact Caruana Galizia had in Malta and around the world.
“PEN International launched a poetry memorial for Daphne Caruana Galizia on November 16, 2019, to mark the second anniversary of her murder. The poetry memorial was the PEN community’s response to the Maltese authorities’ repeated destructions of the peaceful memorial erected in Valetta as a call for justice in her case. The unusually hostile stance of the government had frightening implications for freedom of expression and association in Malta.
“When a journalist is murdered, all of society suffers. We lose our right to know, to speak, to learn, to think critically. PEN’s poetry memorial quickly became a testament to the impact Daphne Caruana Galizia had not just in Malta, but around the world.”
Dondo went on to note that the poems are intended to amplify Caruana Galizia’s voice in spite of the forces aimed at silencing it.
Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in a car bomb in October 2017.“Our poems, our words, can never be destroyed by the Maltese authorities,” Dondo said.
When a journalist is murdered, all of society suffers
“Daphne Caruana Galizia was an extraordinary journalist, who was murdered because she refused to be silenced. It is her voice we seek to amplify through our poems, and when we urge better protection of journalists and freedom of expression in Malta and beyond.”
Asked what PEN International considers to be the greatest threat to freedom of expression on a global scale in the present day, Dondo spoke about how political leaders are using the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to exert modes of control over people.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has given political leaders the unprecedented opportunity to create laws, impose restrictions, require surveillance and monitor movements of people – including writers and journalists – ostensibly to safeguard health, but with little clarity about who gathers the data, with whom it is shared, for how long it is used and for what purpose it is stored.
“The prosecution of journalists, sometimes under the guise of preventing the spread of fake news, continues and in spite of the risks posed by incarceration, many countries have continued to imprison writers and journalists.
“PEN will continue to focus its research and campaigning on challenging governments’ attempts to undermine free expression, press freedom and rights to assembly and privacy. And we will continue to provide solidarity and support to writers at risk – from Afghanistan to Belarus and Myanmar.”
Immanuel Mifsud from PEN Malta said they were “humbled” by the responses received to the call for submissions issued earlier this year.
“We call on the Maltese authorities to act on the findings of a recently-concluded public inquiry into her killing and to urgently ensure better protection of journalists and freedom of expression in Malta,” Mifsud said.
On July 29, a public inquiry into the assassination found that the state should shoulder responsibility for the assassination because it created an atmosphere of impunity, generated from the highest levels in the heart of the administration of the Office of the Prime Minister.
PEN International has called on the Maltese authorities to accept the detailed recommendations, to publish a plan of action on how they will be implemented and to ensure better protection of journalists going forward.
Visit pen-international.org/news/malta-a-poetry-memorial-for-daphne-caruana-galizia to read the poetry collection.