Scottish PEN and the CCA

It was an honour and a privilege to be invited to read 2 of my stories at the CCA Glasgow. Both my stories connect to the brutal assassination of the investigative journalist, Daphne Caruana Galizia, in Malta in 2017.

I’d been living in Malta for 10 years when Daphne was murdered and the whole landscape shifted. I became part of the protest movement demanding justice for her killing and I’ve continued this work since returning to Scotland nearly 4 years ago.

The assassination took place after decades of harrassment, arson attempts, legal threats and an ongoing dehumanisation campaign against Daphne. Despite this relentless intimidation, Daphne refused to stop exposing the rampant corruption in Malta until the moment she was killed, blown up in a car bomb just minutes from her home.

The final words on her blog post written minutes before her horrific murder were:

‘There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is dangerous.’

An independent public inquiry into Daphne’s assassination was fiercely resisted by Malta government. The inquiry submitted its report in July 2021. It concluded that the Maltese State must take responsibility for Daphne’s murder and that the disgraced ex-prime minister, Joseph Muscat, was responsible for creating the climate of impunity enabling her killing.

This climate of impunity still exists as none of the recommendations stipulated by the inquiry have been implemented. These recommendations are designed, amongst other things, to protect journalists from attempts on their lives.

Activists in Malta continue to risk their lives by speaking out against injustice and pushing for reforms to ensure justice for Daphne, safeguard the rule of law, and restore democracy and freedom of expression. I continue to fight for justice from Scotland and I’m grateful for the ongoing support from Scottish PEN.

If you want to support this campaign, follow Occupy Justice on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/occupyjusticemalta

Repubblika https://repubblika.org/

Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation https://www.daphne.foundation/en/

Join Scottish PEN https://scottishpen.org/

Photo Credit: Linda Jaxson

CCA Glasgow 19th September 2023