Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia killed in car bomb

BIDNIJA, MALTA, October, 17 — The Coalition For Women In Journalism strongly condemns the murder of Maltese investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who was killed on Monday when a bomb destroyed her car as she was driving near her home.

“This is a vicious attack on one of the most influential journalists and on freedom of the press in Malta. Daphne Caruana Galizia was unapologetically a fire blazer. She had said the following words in the past: ‘Over my dead body will my children be stuck on these rocks.’ Imagine losing a journalist like that,” said Kiran Nazish, Co-Founder and Director of the Coalition For Women In Journalism.

“Her murder is an astonishing reminder that we have failed to protect journalists doing the most important work.”

“The heinous crime seen in Malta against our colleague, Daphne Caruana Galizia, indicates the harsh dangers that exist for journalists internationally,” said Elle Toussi, Head of Advocacy for the Coalition For Women In Journalism. “The death of Galizia was not an ordinary crime. The Coalition calls for an immediate and thorough investigation behind the barbaric attack.”

“Once again, one of our colleagues has been killed for making people uncomfortable by doing her job,” said Jill Langlois, an Associate for Advocacy at the Coalition For Women In Journalism. “As we have seen in recent months, threats still abound for women journalists, whether they’re in the field or not. This brazen attack that led to Galizia’s death needs to be investigated immediately. We need more voices like hers to hold people accountable for their actions.”

Politico magazine named Galizia one of 28 Europeans who are “shaping, shaking and stirring” Europe. The magazine also stated, “Whatever one thinks of her style, it’s working. On a good day, Galizia gets 400,000 readers, more than the combined circulation of the country’s newspapers (Malta’s population is 420,000).” Imagine losing a voice like that in any country.

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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world, and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

Follow us on Instagram @womeninjournalism and Twitter @CFWIJ.

Our website is WomenInJournalism.org and we can be reached at press@womeninjournalism.org