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Reporters Without Borders (RSF) emphasized on Friday that journalists in Malta remain at risk following the conviction of two individuals for supplying a bomb that killed an investigative journalist in 2017.
Head of the RSF European Union and Balkans desk Pavol Szalai called the convictions “undeniable progress in the quest for justice,” but noted that the trial “highlighted the Maltese state’s failure to dismantle—at every stage—the complex scheme devised to kill a journalist, and the difficulty of untangling it in a drawn-out judicial process.”
RSF also criticized the Maltese authorities for failing to implement most of the press freedom reforms recommended in the 437-page Public Inquiry Report issued after the journalist’s death.
A jury in Malta’s Criminal Court on Thursday convicted the two individuals, Jamie Vella and Robert Agius, for supplying the bomb that killed journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The two men denied the charges against them, and the jury reached its verdict following a six-week trial. The prosecution is seeking life imprisonment, with sentencing expected next week.
Caruana Galizia, known for exposing high-level corruption of Malta’s government, was assassinated by a military-grade bomb in front of her home—an act that shocked Europe and ignited widespread protests across Malta. The Caruana Galizia family echoed RSF’s concerns on Thursday, stating, “[E]ight years after Daphne’s brutal assassination, the institutional failures that enabled her murder remain unaddressed and unreformed.”
Prior to Thursday’s ruling, five people had already been convicted in connection with the assassination. George and Alfred Degiorgio admitted to executing the murder and received 40-year sentences, while Vincent Muscat was sentenced to 15 years following a plea deal. Melvin Theuma, the self-confessed middleman, received a conditional pardon in exchange for testifying in multiple cases, including against alleged mastermind and richest man in Malta, Yorgen Fenech. Fenech is awaiting trial and was released on bail earlier this year, a move criticized by Caruana Galizia’s family and press freedom advocates.
In February, RSF urged Malta’s Constitutional Court to lift an “information blackout” on Fenech’s trial, stating that a decree restricting the publication of information related to the case violated the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and obstructed press freedom.
Malta’s RSF score in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index is 62.96, which means it has “problematic” press freedom. Based on this score, Malta ranks 67th in the world, making it one of the lowest-ranking countries in the European Union (EU). Malta places 23rd out of 26 EU countries, although this is a slight improvement from 2024, when Malta placed 26th out of 27.
The post Convictions of two individuals over journalist’s death sparks calls for further justice in Malta appeared first on JURIST - News.
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Head of the RSF European Union and Balkans desk Pavol Szalai called the convictions “undeniable progress in the quest for justice,” but noted that the trial “highlighted the Maltese state’s failure to dismantle—at every stage—the complex scheme devised to kill a journalist, and the difficulty of untangling it in a drawn-out judicial process.”
RSF also criticized the Maltese authorities for failing to implement most of the press freedom reforms recommended in the 437-page Public Inquiry Report issued after the journalist’s death.
A jury in Malta’s Criminal Court on Thursday convicted the two individuals, Jamie Vella and Robert Agius, for supplying the bomb that killed journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The two men denied the charges against them, and the jury reached its verdict following a six-week trial. The prosecution is seeking life imprisonment, with sentencing expected next week.
Caruana Galizia, known for exposing high-level corruption of Malta’s government, was assassinated by a military-grade bomb in front of her home—an act that shocked Europe and ignited widespread protests across Malta. The Caruana Galizia family echoed RSF’s concerns on Thursday, stating, “[E]ight years after Daphne’s brutal assassination, the institutional failures that enabled her murder remain unaddressed and unreformed.”
Prior to Thursday’s ruling, five people had already been convicted in connection with the assassination. George and Alfred Degiorgio admitted to executing the murder and received 40-year sentences, while Vincent Muscat was sentenced to 15 years following a plea deal. Melvin Theuma, the self-confessed middleman, received a conditional pardon in exchange for testifying in multiple cases, including against alleged mastermind and richest man in Malta, Yorgen Fenech. Fenech is awaiting trial and was released on bail earlier this year, a move criticized by Caruana Galizia’s family and press freedom advocates.
In February, RSF urged Malta’s Constitutional Court to lift an “information blackout” on Fenech’s trial, stating that a decree restricting the publication of information related to the case violated the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and obstructed press freedom.
Malta’s RSF score in the 2025 RSF World Press Freedom Index is 62.96, which means it has “problematic” press freedom. Based on this score, Malta ranks 67th in the world, making it one of the lowest-ranking countries in the European Union (EU). Malta places 23rd out of 26 EU countries, although this is a slight improvement from 2024, when Malta placed 26th out of 27.
The post Convictions of two individuals over journalist’s death sparks calls for further justice in Malta appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.