Daphne Caruana Galizia: Four years on from her murder, Malta must be held to account

Last week, Index on Censorship editor Martin Bright joined the Maltese community, Reporters without Borders, PEN International and others to mark the fourth anniversary of the death of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Read the powerful speech made by the family's lawyer on the occasion.

Sir David Amess
26 March 1952 - 15 October 2021

Illustration: Kirsty O'Connor/PA Wire/PA Images

The abuse and intimidation of our elected representatives is unacceptable. Things have to change. Our democracy is precious and we need to cherish it and defend it, says our CEO Ruth Smeeth.

The problem of censorship is part of larger ones about the use and abuse of freedom

On 15 October 1971, in the depths of the Cold War, the feted British poet Stephen Spender wrote an impassioned appeal for the Times Literary Supplement in which he highlighted the threat of a world without creativity or impartial news as repressive regimes sought to silence dissent.

Writers, academics, journalists and artists were subject to state sanctioned persecution on a daily basis, threatened, arrested and in too many cases murdered as authoritarian leaders moved against their citizens. Watching was no longer enough, letters to the Times and statements of solidarity were no longer sufficient for Spender and a group of his contemporaries.

Read about the inception of Index.