Opposition presents parliamentary motion to improve press freedom

The Opposition has submitted a parliamentary motion for the legal notice published by the government regarding Anti-SLAPP measures to be enhanced and for the recommendations of the public inquiry into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia to be fully implemented.

The recommendations by three judges in the public inquiry have been ignored for three years, the PN pointed out, as did a number of international press freedom organisations on the seventh anniversary of her brutal murder last month.

The parliamentary motion was presented by Shadow Minister for Justice Karol Aquilina and Shadow Minister for Public Broadcasting Claudette Buttigieg on 1 November.

The law, pushed at the EU level, is intended to protect journalists from vexatious lawsuits intended to cripple them financially. But despite the government boasting on an international level that it was at the forefront of introducing these amendments, the proposal put forward by the government grants Malta’s journalists only “the minimum level of protection outlined by the directive”, the Opposition said.

“The PN views the Anti-SLAPP directive as a significant opportunity for our country not only to adopt laws in line with EU directives but also to offer the highest possible level of protection for journalists from the abuses of those wishing to hide the truth,” the party said in a statement.

The Opposition proposed the following amendments:

1. The Anti-SLAPP law should apply to both cases involving other countries and those filed solely within Malta;
2. Increase the amount payable as a deterrent penalty in strategic lawsuits against public participation from a maximum of €10,000 to a minimum of €10,000 and a maximum of €100,000;
3. Anti-SLAPP case data should be published online and presented to parliament when submitted to the European Commission; and
4. Maltese Court judgments on Anti-SLAPP cases should not be kept hidden and should always remain public.

The Opposition is also insisting that the Prime Minister and the Minister for Justice conduct a broad and effective public consultation on how the Anti-SLAPP directive should be incorporated into national laws and that, following the public consultation, a Bill should be presented to parliament by 31 March 2025.

The government must also undertake public consultation on all matters identified by the public inquiry on Caruana Galizia’s murder and those necessary for the protection of journalism in Malta, the PN added.

For over a year, the government has been promising to publish a white paper for consultation on reforms to strengthen journalism in Malta.

Earlier this year, a report by the media freedom NGO Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) awarded Malta the ‘SLAPP Country of the Year’ for having the most strategic lawsuits against public participation filed per capita.

A CASE analysis of European SLAPPs last year saw Malta top the charts mainly due to the government’s multiple legal challenges against 40 Freedom of Information requests filed by The Shift.