Malta Must Establish Accountability For Murder Of Journalist - UN Human Rights Experts

Malta Must Establish Accountability for Murder of Journalist - UN Human Rights Experts

Malta must ensure that accountability is established for the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia on the second anniversary of her assassination, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights experts said in a statement on Wednesday

UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th October, 2019) Malta must ensure that accountability is established for the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia on the second anniversary of her assassination, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights experts said in a statement on Wednesday.

"We call on the authorities to do their utmost and to speed up the process of establishing accountability and shed the full light on this horrendous crime," the experts said. "This must become Malta's top political priority."

The UN experts said that the Maltese government has failed to conduct a prompt, effective, independent and impartial investigation into the killing of Caruana Galizia. They said after almost 20 months officials have charged only three men while the masterminds of the killing still remain unaccountable.

The UN experts further stressed the value of investigative journalism in a democratic society and urged the Maltese authorities to ensure press freedom and probe the journalist's murder according to the standards of international human rights law.

Caruana Galizia, known for her investigative reporting into government corruption, was killed in a car bomb attack close to her home on October 16, 2017.