The Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA) is deeply concerned by comments made today by the Minister for Arts, Culture and National Heritage, Malcolm Paul Agius Galea, who stated that “we cannot assume that Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed because of her work.” At a moment when Malta requires clarity and responsible leadership, MEIA considers this statement unacceptable.

This is not a matter of assumption. The independent public inquiry into Daphne’s assassination concluded that her murder was “intrinsically, if not exclusively” linked to her investigative work. The recent jury verdict concerned the criminal responsibility of one accused person under the standard required in a criminal trial; it did not overturn the public inquiry’s findings about the wider circumstances and institutional failures surrounding Daphne’s assassination.

MEIA considers it its duty to respond precisely because it represents people working across Malta’s arts, culture and entertainment sectors. Culture cannot be separated from the society in which it is created. The rule of law, the independence of institutions, freedom of expression and public confidence in justice affect everyone – and therefore everything we create.

MEIA fully respects the independence of the judicial process and the verdict delivered by the jury. It is not MEIA’s role to question the jurors, assess the criminal responsibility of any individual or retry the case through public opinion. Respecting the verdict, however, cannot mean disregarding the conclusions of an independent public inquiry or diminishing the connection between Daphne’s assassination and freedom of expression.

It is particularly troubling that these comments were made by the Minister entrusted with responsibility for Malta’s arts, culture and national heritage. Freedom of expression is the foundation upon which both journalism and artistic practice depend. Those holding public responsibility for culture must defend that freedom clearly and without qualification.

Daphne Caruana Galizia’s assassination is not a matter for journalism alone. It concerns every person and every sector that depends on the freedom to think, question and speak. Journalism and artistic practice rest on many of the same democratic foundations: the ability to challenge power, confront uncomfortable truths, document our society and create without fear.

The conclusion of one criminal trial does not resolve the wider institutional questions surrounding Daphne’s assassination or diminish the responsibilities identified by the public inquiry. A cultural sector cannot truly flourish where critical voices feel unsafe, where trust in public institutions is weakened or where accountability remains incomplete.

MEIA therefore calls for:

• The Minister to correct his statement and publicly acknowledge the conclusions of the independent public inquiry;
• The full and transparent implementation of the inquiry’s recommendations;
• The continued, independent and adequately resourced pursuit of every credible line of investigation connected to the assassination;
• Meaningful safeguards for journalists, whistleblowers, artists and all those whose work serves the public interest;
• Concrete action to strengthen integrity, transparency and accountability across Malta’s institutions.

We stand in solidarity with Daphne’s family, with journalists and civil society, and with all those who continue to work for truth, justice and democratic accountability in Malta.

This is not a partisan intervention. It is a statement of principle. Culture depends on freedom. Freedom depends on the rule of law. And the rule of law belongs to all of us.