Rule-of-law NGO Repubblika on Monday urged Robert Abela to "stop his assault on civil society" after the prime minister accused a news website that 90% of its content was fake news.
Last week, in comments to Malta Today, Abela said ministers and public servants were being investigated “because there is a fake news blog - Shift News - that specialises in reporting falsehoods".
"90% of what they report contain falsehoods,” he claimed, noting that magisterial inquiries had been launched on the basis of news reports on Shift News.
The Shift’s editor, Caroline Muscat, has since said she has sued Abela for his comments.
On Monday, Repubblika condemned Abela's comments, adding that his "lie" was aimed at discrediting free journalism, especially journalism focused on corruption within public administration.
Considering such discourse came from a prime minister, this was "an act of oppression, threat and censorship," Repubblika added.
The NGO also condemned Abela's reference to requests for magisterial inquiries as "abuse" and "an inquisition".
Last month, Abela announced he had ordered a reform of the current system of magisterial inquiries, saying people like Jason Azzopardi were “abusing the system”.
Abela was reacting to the former MP's filing of an urgent request for a magisterial inquiry into an alleged criminal racket involving Gozo minister Clint Camilleri and his wife.
The prime minister said the lawyer had "crossed a line" with his most recent allegations and that the former PN MP was "abusing" the current system of inquiries and dragging people "through a Calvary of judicial proceedings for nothing".
"I have asked the Justice Minister to finalise a reform of magisterial inquiries without delay, so this abuse can be stopped," he had written.
Repubblika warned that Abela was trying to discredit magisterial inquiries just because they were based on proof published by journalists.
Journalists have published proof of corruption at a time when institutions refused to investigate that proof, Repubblika said, adding that in the absence of such journalists' investigations, there would not have been an inquiry into the hospitals' deal and ensuing prosecution. The Panama Papers revelations would also have remained unknown, it added.
"Journalists' investigations are not enough to condemn anyone. However, when they are enough to justify investigations by institutions, the state should investigate the allegations," the NGO said.