Two years ago today, Malta lost its most courageous, dedicated and tenacious journalist. A generation of investigative reporters lost their inspiration, and a public lost its right to know. The assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia sent shockwaves across not only an island, but throughout the world – shockwaves that are still reverberating to this day.

Now, two years on, Caruana Galizia’s grieving family is left not only without a mother, a wife, a sister, an aunt – but also without answers or accountability for what happened. Not just her family, but an entire country remains robbed of the chance to know the truth about what happened to the only woman courageous enough to ask the questions that others did not dare touch, but that were in everyone’s interest to have answered.

Questions about the real interests of those in positions of power in their tiny island state, about who influences them and to what end, about where money is coming from and where it is being spent – or hidden. Questions that, with a precious life and a remarkable journalistic career cut tragically short, remain largely unanswered to this day.

To the world, two years ago it seemed unthinkable that such a horrific attack could take place in broad daylight, in an EU state, to the country’s most prominent journalist, who had become internationally known for her Panama Papers reporting. And today, it seems unthinkable that justice has still not been served, that impunity has been allowed to fester, and that a government that is saying one thing (“We too want justice for Daphne”), but doing another, has not yet been fully held to account.

Unthinkable for such a horrific attack to take place in an EU state

However, as detailed in a new report by Reporters Without Borders and The Shift News, the lack of accountability is now starting to change at the international level, with a growing level of scrutiny by bodies such as the Group of States against Corruption (Greco), the Venice Commission, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the European Parliament and Commission, and even the UK House of Commons.

These bodies have detailed alarming systemic failures with regard to the freedom of expression environment, rule of law, and democratic checks and balances in Malta, which fatally combined to allow for the murder of a journalist – and to allow impunity to persist for two full years.

What is needed now is political will of the Maltese authorities to implement the key recommendations of these bodies – and political will of the international community to increase pressure on Malta to abide by its international obligations. Most urgently, the establishment of a truly independent and impartial public inquiry – in line with PACE’s requirements – is crucially needed.

A year ago I wrote for this newspaper that “injustice for Daphne is injustice for all those she has come to represent – the dogged investigative reporters, the acerbic political commentators, the courageous women journalists persevering in the face of overwhelming misogyny, the truth-tellers everywhere who continue to put their own safety at risk to hold power to account on behalf of us all”.

I noted that a failure to achieve justice in Daphne’s case would be a shame not just for Malta, but for the world, and emphasised that we must act together to ensure full justice is served. Those words remain just as relevant today.

Each time I returned to Malta, I have been disheartened to confirm that not only has no tangible progress been made on the ground, but that those who remain committed to campaigning for justice are increasingly under attack, and that the broader press freedom climate has deteriorated further. But each time I also hope that the next visit will be different, that the balance will finally tip in favour of truth and accountability and away from hatred and corruption. That remains my hope today.

As long as it takes, I will continue to return to Malta, to stand in solidarity with Daphne’s family, with the dedicated activists who continue the fight for justice, and with the courageous few journalists who continue to pursue the kind of public interest investigative reporting that Daphne had done. Reporters Without Borders remains committed to the pursuit of justice until every single person involved in every aspect of this heinous crime is brought to justice – including, crucially, the masterminds. We will not rest until justice is fully served.

Today, as we remember and honour the life and work of Daphne in vigils in Valletta, London, Brussels, Berlin and Vienna, we call yet again for full justice, and for an end to this pervasive impunity. As a group of international NGOs, including Reporters Without Borders, has jointly stated, let this be the very last anniversary that the Maltese authorities let pass without full justice for Daphne.

Rebecca Vincent is UK bureau chief of press freedom group Reporters Without Borders.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.