The Institute of Maltese Journalists (IĠM) has joined international press freedom organisations condemning recent cyber attacks on The Shift News that occurred immediately following the publication of an investigation into corruption in the deal on Malta’s public hospitals.

The IĠM said in a statement that it supported the immediate initiative taken by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its European counterpart (EFJ) to report the attack to the Council
of Europe’s platform to promote the protection of journalism and the safety of journalists.

Last week, The Shift News experienced two cyber attacks aimed at taking the site down and denying public access to news reports on the site. The first was a DDoS attack, while the second targeted software vulnerabilities.

“Such acts aimed at stifling freedom of speech are unacceptable,”the IĠM said, calling on the relevant authorities to investigate the matter and to publish a public report once such an investigation is concluded.

The Shift News last week published a series of articles on the findings of an investigation into the deal negotiated by Minister Konrad Mizzi, revealing how taxpayers’ money was used to fund a corrupt deal.