Reporters Without Borders Condemns Maltese Authorities’ Handling Of Caruana Galizia Case
RSF secretary general Christophe Deloire addressed a protest in Valletta a week after Caruana Galizia’s assassination
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have issued a stark rebuke to the Maltese authorities for the way they have handled the investigation into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, a day after three murder suspects were arraigned in court.
“In the nearly two months since Daphne Caruana Galizia’s death, the authorities have been unable to show that they are conducting their investigation in an impartial manner,” Pauline Adès-Mével, head of RSF’s EU-Balkans desk said in a statement. “We support the [Caruana Galizia] family’s request for an independent international investigation to establish all the facts of her shocking murder.”
The RSF said they support the Caruana Galizia family’s criticism of the arraignments – including how the arrests were announced by the Prime Minister and not the police, how the suspects’ names were leaked before they were announced, and how the magistrate who issued the arrest warrant was not the inquiring magistrate in charge of the case.
They also noted how the Caruana Galizia family had said it is concerned that “a number of people who could be implicated continue to receive political cover for crimes they are widely reported to have committed.”
Three men – George Degiorgio (Ic-Ciniz), his brother Alfred Degiorgio (Il-Fulu) and an acquaintance Vince Muscat (Il-Kohhu) were charged last night with the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. All three pleaded not guilty. Police also arrested and interrogated seven other men in connection with the case, but released them on police bail.