Daphne Caruana Galizia’s sister has urged the country to understand the importance of adopting the recommendations put forward by a damning public inquiry, which concluded that the state was responsible for creating a climate which led to the journalist’s assassination.
Corinne Vella said: “This should not be about vindication, even though we knew we were correct. The closing of the public inquiry is not the end. It is the starting point of change. We can’t sit around and wait for things to change. Everyone can fulfil a role.”
The inquiry reached the same conclusions that Daphne’s family did when she was killed: the inactivity of the state institutions and their encouragement of people responsible for her assassination contributed to her death.
On Thursday, a 400-page report found that the Maltese state should be held responsible for failing to prevent the 2017 assassination and for partially enabling it by fostering a “culture of impunity”.
That culture led to Caruana Galizia being increasingly isolated as she took on the nexus of politics and big business, with authorities unresponsive to evident risks to her life.
The victim’s sister insisted that the report’s recommendations – which range from introducing new laws to ensuring transparency as well as introducing more protection for journalists – should be implemented at once.
“We need to make sure the necessary structures are put in place to ensure no journalist is ever killed again, to ensure there is no repeat of the systematic failures which led to my sister’s death. We want the report implemented in full.”
Vella described the findings of the inquiry as profoundly disturbing, especially the government’s role in dehumanising Caruana Galizia before she was murdered.
“What we witnessed is the silent takeover of the state and the subsequent backlash. What we also witnessed is the importance of the media. Daphne’s murderers expected her stories to be buried with her. They weren’t. That shows the importance of the media and of civil society activism.”
It was positive to note that Prime Minister Robert Abela’s tone had not been antagonistic since the inquiry was published but actions and a clear timeline would speak louder than words, she added.
The government and Caruana Galizia’s family are expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss the way forward. It is understood that the two parties will discuss the plans for the implementation of the report’s various recommendations.
The government is also set to sound out whether the family plan on seeking damages through the courts.
Vella concluded: “It took two years of relentless pressure here in Malta and internationally to push government into starting the public inquiry. It is a State inquiry, initiated by the government, led by a board appointed by the government, guided by terms of reference set by government.”
It concluded there was a campaign against Caruana Galizia orchestrated from within the Office of the Prime Minister, institutions failed to protect her, and the state was responsible for her death. There were three lines of inquiry and in each one the board found evidence of state responsibility.
“This is not about me or Daphne’s family alone. I’m just a woman whose sister was killed. Malta has an opportunity to get this right. Daphne, and our country, deserve no less.”