Daphne Caruana Galizia would have turned 56 today

International press freedom organisations, civil society groups, journalists and family took to social media to commemorate the life and work of Daphne Caruana Galizia on what would have been her 56th birthday.

Her son Matthew reminded Facebook readers that the struggle in Malta is not over each new scandal that shakes the country from week to week.

“It’s about the future of three multi-billion euro deals enabled by corruption,” he said, referring to the cash for passport scheme, the sale of hospitals and the Electrogas deal.

“Without the corruption in these deals, we could have not just Xarabank, but our own BBC, we could house, feed and teach not just every citizen, but every immigrant. Most importantly, by tearing up these deals, we’d have justice. Keep focused.”

Reporters Without Border (RSF) Director Rebecca Vincent stopped to remember two courageous journalists whose time was “cruelly cut short”, sharing photos of Daphne Caruana Galizia and Christopher Allen, a journalist killed three years ago in South Sudan.

“We press for justice for both of them,” she wrote. “We will never forget the atrocity of [Daphne’s] horrific assassination and we will never stop fighting for full justice.”

Today should have been #DaphneCaruanaGalizia’s 56th birthday.

We will never forget her life, work, and courage.

We will never forget the atrocity of her horrific assassination.

We will never stop fighting for full #JusticeforDaphne. pic.twitter.com/yLYsMDOYgu

— Rebecca Vincent (@rebecca_vincent) August 26, 2020

RSF also called on Maltese authorities to request a Europol Joint Investigation Team (JIT) into Caruana Galizia’s assassination without further delay.

As Matthew Caruana Galizia has explained, the formation of a JIT would empower a larger umbrella investigation to look into her murder within the broader context of cross-border corruption and money laundering involving Malta.

The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation and the victim’s family have repeatedly made this request, but it has been repeatedly declined, with Maltese officials claiming Europol is already involved in the case.

Civil society groups Occupy Justice and Repubblika echoed calls for full justice for Daphne and for the high-level corruption she exposed.

🌿 #DaphneCaruanaGalizia would have been 56 today but her life was stolen from her by the #crooks she exposed in her #journalism. This is our #protest site this morning. She should still be here. #JusticeForDaphne Not giving up ✊ @ECPMF @pen_int @rebecca_vincent @IFEX @OCCRP pic.twitter.com/RokEqDPusl

— repubblika 🇲🇹 #JusticeForDaphne 🌿 (@repubblikaMT) August 26, 2020

The Justice for Journalists Foundation (JFJ) shared the latest developments in the murder case, linking to a series of weekly roundups written for them by The Shift, adding that “the public inquiry into her murder continues and won’t stop until full #JusticeForDaphne.”

Press freedom advocate Article 19 wrote, “Today we remember Malta’s leading investigative journalist and once again call for full justice for her assassination and for the high-level corruption which she exposed.”

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) noted that nearly three years have passed since Caruana Galizia’s life was cut short, yet no one has been convicted of this crime. 

Daphne Caruana Galizia would have turned 56 today. No one has yet been convicted of her assassination. A public inquiry into her murder is currently ongoing. @ECPMF calls once again for justice in her murder case. #DaphneCaruanaGalizia #Malta #SafeJournalists pic.twitter.com/VkRnP2NfGp

— European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (@ECPMF) August 26, 2020

Lorenzo Frigerio, journalist and coordinator of Libera Informazione, remembered Caruana Galizia’s “courage and determination in denouncing corruption in Malta, knowing that she would end up in the assassins’ crosshairs because others did not do their duty.”

IFEX, a global network of press freedom organisations, published a report on the journalist’s life, and developments in Malta following her murder.

The International Press Institute (IPI) posted on Twitter,  “We honour the memory of one of Malta’s top journalists and remember her courage.”

Taste & Flair, commemorated what would have been her 56th birthday by reminding readers of a different side of Malta’s most determined journalist. “Daphne Caruana Galizia started Taste in 2004 & Flair in 2005 to celebrate her love of beautiful things, later combining the two into one.”

Meanwhile, in Malta, the Public Inquiry into Caruana Galizia’s death continued at the law courts in Valletta. Rather than celebrate memories of her life, her family sat in court listening to testimony about her murder.