The International Press Institute (IPI) is devastated by the not guilty verdict reached today in the historic trial of Maltese businessman Yorgen Fenech, who had been charged with masterminding the 2017 murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The jury cleared Fenech of both charges of murder and criminal association in an eight-to-one decision in the first day after just eight hours of deliberations.
The verdict represents a shocking setback in the long fight for justice for Daphne’s assassination, and a severe institutional failure in holding those who ultimately ordered her killing criminally responsible.
Rather than celebrate a historic conviction unparalleled in the modern history of press freedom in Europe, this decision means her 2017 killing remains in a state of impunity, sets back the legal process years, and leaves numerous questions unanswered.
IPI, which has long supported Daphne’s loved ones in the fight for justice, sends our ongoing support and solidarity to the family and their legal team, who have fought tirelessly for nine years to secure full justice.
We also expect Maltese authorities to ensure the pending appeal, already announced by the prosecution, is pursued rigorously and transparently, in a manner which addresses longstanding concerns about interference, leaks, and incomplete investigations that have shadowed this case from the start.
Full justice for Daphne and her family remain the only acceptable outcome.