The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins the undersigned international media freedom and journalist organisations in welcoming the confirmation of guilty verdicts handed to Robert Agius and Jamie Vella, the two men who supplied the bomb used to assassinate journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017. On 21 January, the two gang members lost their attempt at the court of appeal to overturn their convictions. Both men are serving life imprisonment after being found guilty in June 2025 of procuring the military grade explosives and providing them to the hitmen who executed the murder of the journalist. The pair unsuccessfully argued their convictions…

On the eve of the anniversary of the murder of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joins press freedom and journalists’ groups in calling on Malta to set up a national action plan on media freedom and journalist safety. Our organisations welcome the call by the Maltese authorities for public consultations on media freedom and are, in this paper, submitting a set of recommendations for consideration. The implementation of such recommendations would be an appropriate and meaningful way to continue to mark the life and legacy of Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed in a…

The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined media freedom groups in welcoming the conviction of the two gang members who supplied car bomb which killed Maltese journalist. Guilty verdicts handed down to two gang members who supplied the car bomb which killed Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia mark another vital step forward in the fight for full justice, the undersigned media freedom organisations said today. We jointly hail the convictions of Robert Agius and Jamie Vella, reached via a jury in Valletta on June 5, as a crucial development in the fight against impunity which we hope will strengthen the…

On the eve of the seventh anniversary of the murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia on 16 October 2017, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and ten other journalist and freedom of expression organizations wrote to Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela calling on his government to speed up reforms to create a safer environment for the media community in Malta. The groups called on Abela, after years of delay, to finally deliver on the recommendations of a public inquiry into her murder, which concluded in 2021 that the state had created an “atmosphere of impunity” and failed to take…

On the sixth anniversary of the murder of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, we, the undersigned organizations, renew our calls for Maltese authorities to bring to justice all those responsible for her killing and to implement in full the recommendations of the public inquiry into her assassination.  Caruana Galizia, who rose to prominence through her anti-corruption investigations and blogs, was killed by a car bomb in Malta on October 16, 2017. Three men have been convicted for the journalist’s murder and three other suspects await trial.  After pressure from the Caruana Galizia family and civil society, a public inquiry…

The European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ) welcome the resolution adopted today by the European Parliament to pay tribute to the murdered Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia and to denounce the lack of political will of the Maltese authorities to fight corruption and guarantee press freedom. Five years after the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia in Bidnija (Malta), the European Parliament pays tribute to the journalist and looks into the rule of law, organised crime, and corruption in Malta. In its resolution adopted with 564 votes in favour, 10 against (the four Maltese MEPs from the socialist group and…

Civil society and journalists’ organisations, including the European and International Federations of Journalists (EFJ-IFJ), denounce government’s lack of ambition and transparency in press freedom reforms and renews calls for full justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia. Five years ago today, investigative reporter Daphne Caruana Galizia was brutally assassinated in a car bomb attack in Malta. Our thoughts are with her family, friends and colleagues. Together with them, we continue to fight for full justice.  Today is a day to remember and celebrate her fearless journalism, the far-reaching impact of her incisive writing on financial crime, abuses of power and deep-seated corruption,…

Following a guilty plea, the Criminal Court today sentenced brothers Alfred and George Degiorgio to 40 years each for their role as hitmen in the assassination of Malta’s leading investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Today, representatives of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Article 19 Europe, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, the International Press Institute and Reporters Without Borders were present at court in Valletta to monitor proceedings.  They were there to hear the unprecedented guilty pleas and subsequent sentencing. This sentence concludes the case against the Degiorgio brothers for their role…

The 16th of October will mark five years since the brutal assassination of Malta’s best-known investigative journalist and anti-corruption campaigner, Daphne Caruana Galizia. To honour her memory and to continue calling for justice, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) organise a vigil in Brussels on 14 October 2022. We invite you to join us to send a clear message that we want to know who killed Daphne and why. We want truth and justice. What: A vigil to pay tribute to the courage of Daphne Caruana Galizia, and to call for justice Where: Outside…

Between 13 and 17 October 2022, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) will join international press freedom mission in Malta, five years after the assassination of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia on 16 October 2017. The country visit follows up on similar missions held in previous years. Representatives of ARTICLE 19 Europe, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the International Press Institute (IPI), Reporters Without Borders (RSF) as well as the EFJ have requested a meeting with the Prime Minister of Malta Robert Abela and relevant ministers in an attempt to…

Today marks four years since the brutal murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in a car bomb attack in Malta that shook the world. Our thoughts are with Caruana Galizia’s family, friends, colleagues, and others still fighting for justice. It is deeply unsettling to reiterate, four years on, our call for justice for this heinous attack as impunity continues to fester. While modest progress has been made in some areas, full accountability for Caruana Galizia’s murder remains elusive. The fight against impunity only ends when all those responsible have been prosecuted to the full extent of the law: assassins,…

Yorgen Fenech, a Maltese business mogul, has been indicted for the murder of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017 and will face a trial by jury on a date yet to be set. Fenech faces charges of complicity in murder and criminal association. So far, Vince Muscat has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to the murder earlier this year. Two further alleged hitmen, the brothers George and Alfred Degiorgio will also face trial. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes Fenech’s indictment and urges the Maltese authorities to finally end impunity and punish everyone involved…

A public inquiry into the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has found the state responsible for her death. The report said the state had failed to recognise risks to the reporter’s life and take reasonable steps to avoid them.The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) calls on the Maltese authorities to prosecute all those responsible and to implement the recommendations of the report without delay. Daphne Caruana Galizia died in a car bomb attack near her home on 16 October 2017. An investigation led to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat‘s resignation in 2019 after his close associates were implicated. In a 437-page…

Vincent Muscat, one of the three presumed murderers of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, has been sentenced to 15 years in jail after pleading guilty at the latest hearing into her killing in 2017. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) welcomed the decision and urged the authorities to continue to pursue others involved in her murder. Muscat, an alleged hitman in a contract to kill the journalist, is believed to have negotiated a more lenient sentence in exchange for supplying state prosecutors with information on others involved. Daphne Caruana Galizia’s reporting focused on high-level corruption, including investigations into the Panama Papers in 2016. She was murdered in a…

16 December 2020 marks 38 months since Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated in Malta, yet barriers to justice remain. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) together with the undersigned organisations condemns the continued threats made by the Maltese Government against the independent public inquiry into the circumstances of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, and its three board members. The independence of the inquiry is vital and we call on the Government to uphold its commitments under the European Convention on Human Rights and ensure the inquiry is supported to fulfil its Terms of Reference free from all political threats…

On 16 October 2017, journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated in Malta. Three years later we, the undersigned 19 international free expression, anti-corruption, civic participation, and journalists’ organisations, once again demand an end to impunity for this heinous attack. As alleged murder mastermind, Yorgen Fenech, is facing criminal proceedings and the three defendants charged with carrying out the contract killing Alfred Degiorgio, George Degiorgio and Vincent Muscat, are awaiting trial, we recall that justice delayed is justice denied. We call for thorough and effective criminal investigations and prosecutions that ensure the whole truth is uncovered and all those responsible for…