Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1508940
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 4 OCTOBER 2023 NEWS NEWS MATTHEW VELLA THE Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, has exptressed concern about the implementation of the recommenda- tions of the public inquiry report into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia and the effective exer- cise of the human right to freedom of expression. In a letter to the Prime Minister, the Commis- sioner regrets the lack of significant results in bringing to justice all those responsible for the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, and called on Robert Abela to provide her with information on the complaints raised in the letter. In a separate letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Commissioner urged lawmakers to refrain from adopting the current legislative proposals on press freedoms, citing the inadequate provisions to address Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mijatović said she was concerned that proposals tabled in Parliament to strengthen freedom of expression legislation appeared to fall short of the stringent need that was identified in the public inquiry re- port for comprehensive reforms in Maltese so- ciety. "Furthermore, they have not been subject to the transparent and thorough consultation that the gravity of the situation demands." Mijatović said she had received information about f denial of access to information under the Freedom of Information Act, dubbing it "a pattern of unwarranted secrecy within state in- stitutions" on information that could be of sig- nificant public interest. "I have also noted that after certain degree of progress, no significant results have been ob- tained in bringing to justice all those responsible for the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. This troubling situation persists almost six years after her tragic death." Mijatović raised the continued negative rheto- ric targeting journalists, telling Abela it was im- perative that state authorities cease fostering a climate which is hostile to journalists and media professionals. Underlining the important role of the Parlia- ment in strengthening freedom of expression, she recommended that it engage in substantive, inclusive and transparent consultations with civil society, the media and interested citizens to ensure that press freedoms laws are in line with international standards on freedom of expres- sion and the protection of journalists. Justice minister's reply In a letter to Mijatović, justice minister Jona- than Attard updated the Commissioner with the recent publication of the media experts' report in the House, to be followed by a White Paper on the proposed laws that will update press free- doms. Attard also pointed out that Malta's FOI Act provides redress to refused requests for appli- cants by appeaing before the Information and Data Protection Tribunal, and finally to the Court of Appeal. Attard also said the trial by jury of the alleged mastermind in the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia could possibly be appointed this week following a decision by the Court of Criminal Appeal. "I assure you that the government is commit- ted to continue undertaking all processes, efforts and measures to ensure the protectin and safety of journalists and media professionals, as well as guarantee freedom of the press in line with in- ternational human right standards," Attard said. Lack of justice for Caruana Galizia persists six years on, says human rights czar Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, raises concerns over freedom of expression and the lack of justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia Independent Y-plate owners voiced their frustration towards Transport Malta's as well as ride- hailing platforms' indifference to drivers' needs MATTHEW FARRUGIA A number of Y-plate drivers and operators have banded together to protest Trans- port Malta's regulations on the industry, as drivers have expressed their frustration towards the authority's re- cent crackdown on industry workers. The protest, organised by independent Y-plate owners focused on TM's as well as ride-hailing platforms' indif- ference to drivers' needs. The Light Passenger Operators Association (LPOA) is not in- volved in this protest. Over the past weeks, TM has been requesting opera- tors within the industry to provide an exhaustive list of all the persons who are em- ployed with the operators, as well as the necessary permits indicating that they own a commercial garage. Apart from that, they are al- so now required to send the authority the documentation that shows that each driver has a driver's tag, among oth- er requirements. The enforcement follows a series of articles by MaltaTo- day which shed light on the fact that Y-plate owners had been parking their vehicles il- legally in public spaces, after years of lax enforcement lead to hundreds of drivers obtain- ing these vehicles without the necessary garages. In fact, drivers who had spo- ken to this newspaper con- firmed that TM had never conducted checks to confirm that they had access to garag- es for their vehicles. Light Passenger Operators Association statement In a statement, LPOA, which is the official associ- ation which represents the lobby, stated that it encour- aged members not to attend the protest. "We shall continue to advo- cate in favour of discussions with all authorities concerned so that together with all stake- holders we will strive to work upon the progress that has been accomplished in the pre- vious months," LPOA said. The association stated that it recognises the efforts made by authorities in order to en- sure the sustainability of the sector for operators and cus- tomers. LPOA reiterated that the protest, "will further create unnecessary tensions at this stage." Y-plate drivers protest Transport Malta regulations