MURDER OF THE MALTESE INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST DAPHNE CARUANA GALIZIA

Motion Text

That this House condemns the murder of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed by a car bomb on 16 October 2017; notes that 24 January 2018 marks 100 days since her murder; commends her courageous reporting exposing corruption in Malta and throughout Europe, notably her work on the Panama Papers and the investigations into Azerbaijani influence-buying and money laundering; calls on the Maltese authorities to conduct a thorough, independent, and transparent investigation into her murder and to bring to justice all those responsible for planning and carrying out the attack; urges the international community to ensure full oversight of the investigation, such as through the creation of a Special Rapporteur at the Council of Europe tasked with monitoring the investigation; is alarmed that, according to Reporters Without Borders, the number of women journalists killed in 2017 doubled from 2016; is further alarmed by the increased deliberate targeting of investigative journalists working to expose corruption; underscores the critical role of investigative journalism in ensuring transparent, accountable, and democratic governance; and calls for support for the campaign to establish a UN Special Representative for the Safety of Journalists to enforce international law and reduce the number of journalists killed every year in the course of their work.