RSF deplores Maltese government offensive against “Daphne Project”
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the smear campaign launched by the Maltese government in response to the revelations of the “Daphne Project” media investigations into journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder last October.
Initiated in the past few days, the campaign is targeting both the Daphne Project and Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family.
“We deplore the fact that the government’s response to investigative reporting and to legitimate requests by the family of the murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia has been to launch calls for a demonstration.” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said.
“We would like the government to concentrate on facilitating the ongoing judicial investigation and to provide all the resources that are needed to shed light on this shocking murder. The Maltese judicial system must also act on the information that has been revealed by the journalistic investigations.”
The Daphne Project revelations by the Forbidden Stories consortium of investigative reporters – a project launched with RSF’s support – have cause a stir in Malta, especially in political circles.
The ruling Labour Party has reacted by waging an aggressive campaign in the media and on social networks for the biggest possible turnout for demonstrations on 1 May against both the Daphne Project and what it calls the “Caruana family’s provocation.”
Malta is ranked 65th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2018 World Press Freedom Index, 18 places lower than in the 2017 Index.
Malta
