PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
DAPHNE CARUANA GALIZIA (24 October 2017)

That this House is shocked by the murder of the Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia; celebrates her role in exposing corruption within the Maltese Government and wider Maltese society, in particular in relation to the Panama Papers and Azerbaijaini Laundromat documents; expresses concern that she is one of 30 journalists killed globally in 2017; believes that her killers must be brought to justice through a full, open and independent investigation; notes EU Commission findings that Malta is the only EU country that has such extensive media ownership by the political parties; further expresses concern about the lack of regulatory and self-regulatory measures that safeguard editorial independence in the news media; understands that opposition politicians in Malta have also expressed concern about ongoing threats to the rule of law in the country; notes that Malta has just relinquished the EU presidency and is a full member of the EU and is therefore obliged to uphold fundamental principles, such as the rule of law, freedom of expression and freedom of the press; welcomes the Minister of State's statement in relation to the death of Daphne Caruana Gaizia and his offer to support the investigation; and calls on the Government to put pressure on the EU Commission to urgently investigate the state of press freedom in Malta, and where necessary, to put in place measures and funding, to ensure that independent journalists can continue to expose corruption and wrongdoing at every level in Maltese society.

Sponsored by:
Baroness Hodge of Barking (Labour)