The Shift and Justice for Journalists Foundation launch weekly roundup of Caruana Galizia case

Together with the London-based NGO Justice for Journalists Foundation (JFJ), The Shift News will be publishing weekly roundups detailing the latest developments of the complex case of the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

In the first roundup launched on Monday, under the headline ‘Justice Delayed, Justice Denied’, The Shift provided an informative overview of the significant developments in the case from the past 34 months, since the journalist’s murder in October 2017.

Muscat highlighted the struggle in discovering the masterminds behind the assassination, the context and significance of the eventual arrest of suspected mastermind businessman Yorgen Fenech in November 2019, as well as more recent developments that have unfolded since then.

We are happy to announce that @TheShiftNews @muscatcar ,with the support of JFJ Foundation, created weekly Maltese Roundups offering the latest news in #DaphneCaruanaGalizia case that will be available on JFJ website. Read the first story: https://t.co/4K327wBlND

— Justice for Journalists Foundation (@JFJfund) August 10, 2020

These include the resignation of former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, his former chief of staff Keith Schembri and former Minister Konrad Mizzi, as well as the arrest of self-confessed middleman Melvin Theuma, the initiation of the ongoing court case and public inquiry, and other important occurrences, such as the recent incident where Theuma was found with a slashed throat in his Swieqi home.

“The struggle to discover the masterminds behind her assassination — and their motives — has been a frustrating tale of political interference, as the authorities in Malta did everything possible to avoid examining the role politicians may have played in both the murder and attempts to cover it up.”

Despite this, Daphne’s family, civil society protestors and a handful of independent journalists refused to let the story fade away. The article then features the main highlights of what has emerged in both the compilation of evidence and public inquiry sittings since their initiation.

The public inquiry into Daphne’s assassination is tasked with examining the circumstances of these events, whether the State played a role in her death, and whether her death could have been prevented.

Each roundup will be published on JFJ’s website. The organisation is committed to funding journalistic investigations into violent crimes against media workers and helping professional and citizen journalists mitigate their risks.

It is not the first time that The Shift and JFJ are working hand in hand. On the second anniversary of the journalist’s brutal killing by a car bomb a few metres away from her home, JFJ supported a joint effort between international press freedom organisation Reporters Without Borders and The Shift a to publish a report detailing the lack of progress in the Caruana Galizia investigation and the reasons behind it.

The Shift’s article notes that not a single person has been convicted for Caruana Galizia’s death close to three years since her brutal killing.