03/09/2026 Legal Affairs and Human Rights
Baroness Shami Chakrabarti (United Kingdom, SOC), who is preparing a report for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Justice delayed: the unfinished implementation of the Daphne Caruana Galizia case, made the following statement today:
“It is deeply shocking that, almost nine years after the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, the masterminds behind the killing have not yet been held accountable.
This was not an ordinary crime. It is worth recalling that the public inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia's death concluded that the Maltese State bore responsibility for it, having created a climate of impunity generated from the highest levels and having failed to take preventive measures to protect her life. The inquiry found that the events as a whole had almost led to a collapse of the country's institutions and the rule of law.
The failure to ensure individual accountability for the murder risks perpetuating a culture of impunity: a culture where corruption thrives, the most heinous criminal acts go unpunished, and where those who try to shine a light in the darkness pay the ultimate price.
The quest for justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia is not over. All those responsible for ordering her assassination must be brought to justice and the wider recommendations of the public inquiry must be implemented in full.
The Assembly has followed this question from the beginning – not least my predecessor Pieter Omtzigt’s 2019 report and the Assembly’s resolution based on it – and I will continue to follow developments in Malta very closely.”
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Yorgen Fenech was acquitted yesterday at first instance by a jury in Malta of the charges brought against him in connection with the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
PACE’s Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights will hold its first hearing in the context of Baroness Chakrabarti’s report at a meeting on Wednesday 9 September, when it is due to hear from the murdered journalist’s son, Matthew Caruana Galizia, and her sister, Corinne Vella.
A video recording of the hearing will be made available on the Assembly’s website shortly afterwards. To receive the link as soon as it is available, please contact the PACE Communication Division via [email protected].