The European Parliament (EP) press room in Strasbourg will now take the name of the Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. She was assassinated last week on the island of Malta. Antonio Tajani, the President of the parliamentary assembly announced this on Tuesday.
Ms Caruana Galizia was a columnist for several Maltese media. She contributed to shining the spotlight upon corruption cases in the archipelago of 430,000 inhabitants, in particular on her blog “Running Commentary”.
A powerful explosion last week destroyed the car she was driving close to her home on the north of the island. The explosion propelled the burnt-out wreck of the vehicle into a neighbouring field. Local media sources say that the journalist had contacted the police previously, asserting that she was the subject of threats.
Mr Tajani stated in a plenary session of the EP, “As the President, a citizen, and a journalist, I wish to express my indignation in the face of the brutal murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. She was a courageous woman, a leading journalist.”
The MEPs then observed a minute’s silence. Several members of Ms Caruana Galizia’s family were present in the European hemicycle in Strasbourg. There a debate on freedom of the press and the protection of journalists took place yesterday evening.
Antonio Tajani said that the European Parliament would not remain silent on the matter, as long as the assassins and those behind her death had not been arrested.
The Brussels Times
