Civil society group Repubblika is supporting the call made by the Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM) to the government to stop dragging its feet and introduce anti-Slapp (strategic lawsuits against public participation) legislation without delay. 

The IĠM on Wednesday requested an urgent meeting with the government to seek a way forward in how the fourth pillar of democracy may be protected against threats such as Slapp action.

The request was made after several Maltese media organisations, including Times of Malta, received threatening legal letters and requests for compensation by Turab Musayev, Socar Trading’s head of LNG trading. 

Repubblika said on Friday that apart from protecting journalists, this legislation also protected society from abuse by the financially powerful who would seek to threaten the right to information, Repubblika said.

It said four months after the Opposition put forward draft legislation against this abuse, the government had not yet taken any action. 

Repubblika reiterated the Maltese were already victims of this abuse by Henley & Partners, the company engaged by the government to sell citizenship, which got what it wanted and proceeded to try and muzzle the voice of Maltese journalists by threatening them with SLAPP in 2017. 

“We will not forget what Henley & Partners and the owner of Pilatus Bank did to Daphne Caruana Galizia. 

“We will not forget what the owner of Sata Bank did to Manuel Delia and Times of Malta. 

“We also note what Turab Musayev did to The Shift and others who wrote about him. 

“All this is intended to threaten us and our rights,” Repubblika said adding that the government was duty bound to protect its people’s rights.