Malta: defamation’s no longer a crime but new law has its critics
By Emil Weber
A new law has decriminalised libel in Malta. It follows months of criticism of the southern European country over media freedom, especially after the murder of investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2017, who was attacked with dozens of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) cases.
Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered by a car bomb on 6 October 2017 in Malta (The Malta Independent/AP/dpa)
The Media and Defamation Act was approved by the Maltese House of Representatives on 17 April and it is still to be published in the Official Gazette and enter into force. The House said in its website that…