Manuel Delia Granted Prison Access, But Not Where Daphne Caruana Galizia’s Murderers And Suspects Being Held
Manuel Delia has been granted excessive access to tour the prison and interview prisoners, other than the men convicted or charged with the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Delia’s civil case victory, issued by judge Toni Abela, could grant an unprecedented level of transparency to the prison and the detention centre.
However, Abela’s judgement came with a proviso.
“The court understands that in certain divisions, people are serving a prison sentence in connection with the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia or are being held pending criminal cases in connection with the same assassination,” he wrote.
“Honestly, this court feels that the plaintiff shouldn’t be given access to those divisions for obvious reasons.”
Three men, George and Alfred Degiorgio and Vince Muscat, are currently serving prison sentences for the murder. Three others, Yorgen Fenech, Robert Agius and Jamie Vella, are currently awaiting trial.
Otherwise, though, Delia has been allowed to tour the prison in an uncontrolled manner. He is allowed to take photos of their living and sleeping quarters and bathrooms and interview prisoners inside, concerning their privacy.
Referring to rulings from the European Court of Human Rights, judge Abela said that “freedom of expression does not stop at the gates of army barracks or of prisons” and suggested Delia was only denied access to spite him personally.
The ruling also applies to the detention centre, where irregular migrants are kept prior to receiving asylum status and before they are deported.
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