UK Parliamentary Committee calls for Malta to hold an independent judicial inquiry into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia

The UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has today published its 21st report, which focusses upon the UK’s response to global media freedom issues. The Committee made recommendations in relation to three specific cases, one of which was that of the assassination in October 2017 in Malta of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

The committee recommended that: “[a]s part of its campaign to defend global media freedom, the FCO should publicly press for an independent judicial public inquiry in Malta into the murder of the journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Her death should set a precedent for accountability and not, as it does currently, for impunity.”

Ms Caruana Galizia’s family have been publicly calling upon Malta to hold an independent judicial inquiry into her assassination ever since her death. In June 2019 the Council of Europe followed suit and demanded an inquiry. The recommendation by the UK Parliamentary Committee is yet further international recognition that unless Malta now holds such an inquiry, the pressure to do so will only mount further.

The Caruana Galizia family has released the following statement: “The Foreign Affairs Committee has called on the FCO to publicly press for an independent judicial inquiry in Malta into the death of our wife and mother. We have repeatedly requested that Malta commence such an inquiry for the past two years. In June 2019 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe called for a public inquiry and set a deadline for its institution in Malta by 26 September 2019. We call on the FCO to express its support for a public inquiry and to impress upon Malta the importance of not allowing another year to go by without proper scrutiny of this assassination.”

The family is represented by Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC, Jonathan Price and Jennifer Robinson of Doughty St Chambers, instructed by Tony Murphy of Bhatt Murphy Solicitors. Caoilfhionn Gallagher QC gave oral evidence to the Committee on 7 May 2019. Ms Caruana Galizia’s sons Matthew, Andrew and Paul submitted written evidence, available on the Committee’s website. A copy of the report is also available from the Committee’s website.