A number of organisations urged the leaders meeting in Malta to address “the ongoing impunity” in the case of assassinated journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

In a letter to the presidents of France and Cyprus and the prime ministers of Italy, Greece, Portugal and Spain, they noted that there was no process inquiring into the circumstances of the murder.

They noted that, so far, the Maltese government has blocked a public inquiry, leaving journalists continuing to work in Malta at great risk and forcing Ms Caruana Galizia’s family to take legal action against the Prime Minister’s refusal to hold a public inquiry into the assassination.

“Only a public inquiry can determine how best to guarantee the safety of journalists and prevent future attacks,” they said. They noted that the Venice Commission Opinion on Malta stated Malta’s positive obligations in relation to the assassination.

A public inquiry was the only process that could effectively address these positive obligations.

The call for a public inquiry was supported by a resolution by the European Parliament which requested the Maltese government to launch such an inquiry, and called on the EU institutions and member states to initiate an independent international public inquiry into the murder and the alleged cases of corruption, financial crimes, money laundering, fraud and tax evasion reported by the journalist, they said.

The letter was signed by the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, Article 19, Ifex, the Index on Censorship, the International Press Institute, Pen International, and Reporters Without Borders.