Daphne Caruana Galizia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Daphne Caruana Galizia
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| Born |
Daphne Anne Vella
26 August 1964 Sliema, Crown Colony of Malta
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| Died | 16 October 2017 (aged 53) Bidnija, Malta
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| Cause of death | Assassination (car bomb attack) |
| Alma mater | University of Malta |
| Years active | 1987–2017 |
| Spouse(s) |
Peter Caruana Galizia
(m. 1985) |
| Children | 3 |
Daphne Anne Caruana Galizia (née Vella; 26 August 1964 – 16 October 2017) was a Maltese writer, journalist, blogger and anti-corruption activist, who reported on political events in Malta and was known internationally for her investigation of the Panama Papers, and subsequent assassination by car bomb. In particular, she focused on investigative journalism, reporting on government corruption, nepotism, patronage, and allegations of money laundering, links between Malta's online gambling industry and organized crime, Malta's citizenship-by-investment scheme, and payments from the government of Azerbaijan. Caruana Galizia's national and international reputation was built on her regular reporting of misconduct by Maltese politicians and politically exposed persons.
Caruana Galizia continued to publish articles for decades, despite intimidation and threats, libel suits and other lawsuits. She was arrested by the Malta Police Force on two occasions. Caruana Galizia's investigations were published via her personal blog Running Commentary, which she set up in 2008. She was a regular columnist with The Sunday Times of Malta and later The Malta Independent. Her blog consisted of investigative reporting and commentary, some of which was regarded as personal attacks on individuals, leading to a series of legal battles. In 2016 and 2017, she revealed controversially sensitive information and allegations relating to a number of Maltese politicians and the Panama Papers scandal.
On 16 October 2017, Caruana Galizia died close to her home when a car bomb was detonated inside her vehicle, attracting widespread local and international condemnation of the attack. In December 2017, three men were arrested in connection with the car bomb attack. Police arrested Yorgen Fenech, the owner of the Dubai-based company 17 Black, on his yacht on 20 November 2019 in connection with her murder.
In April 2018, an international consortium of 45 journalists published The Daphne Project, a collaboration to complete her investigative work. The GUE/NGL Award for Journalists, Whistleblowers & Defenders of the Right to Information was established in 2018 in honour of Galizia.
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Early life and education
Daphne Anne Vella was born on 26 August 1964 in Tower Road, Sliema. She was the eldest of four sisters born to the businessman Michael Alfred Vella and his wife Rose Marie Vella (née Mamo). She was educated at St Dorothy's Convent (Mdina) and St Aloysius' College, Birkirkara. She attended the University of Malta as a mature student and took a BA (Hons) in Archaeology with a minor in Anthropology in 1997, featuring on the Dean's List in 1996.
Caruana Galizia was exposed to politics in her late teens, having been arrested when she was 18 years old following participation in anti-government protests. The policeman who arrested her, Angelo Farrugia, went on to become the Speaker of the Maltese parliament.
In 1985, she married the lawyer Peter Caruana Galizia, a grandson of John Caruana and a great-grandson of E.L. Galizia and A.A. Caruana. The couple had three sons, Matthew, Andrew and Paul. Matthew was a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The family left Sliema in 1990, moving to Bidnija, a hamlet in the limits of Mosta.
Career
Caruana Galizia was employed by The Sunday Times of Malta as a news reporter in 1987, becoming a regular columnist from 1990 to 1992 and again from 1993 to 1996. She was an associate editor of The Malta Independent in 1992, and remained a columnist with that newspaper and The Malta Independent on Sunday for the rest of her career. Additionally, she worked in media and public relations consultancies. Caruana Galizia was also the founding editor of Taste and Flair, monthly lifestyle magazines which were distributed along with The Malta Independent on Sunday. The publications were merged into a single magazine called Taste&Flair in July 2014, and Caruana Galizia remained the editor until her death. Taste&Flair is now published by The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation.
In March 2008, she began a blog entitled Running Commentary, which included investigative reporting and commentary on current affairs and public figures. The blog was one of the most popular websites in Malta, regularly attracting over 400,000 views – more than the combined circulation of the country's newspapers.
Caruana Galizia was intimidated for her work and opinions. According to Matthew Caruana Galizia, threats were almost a daily occurrence. These took the form of phone calls, letters, notes pinned to the front door, text messages, emails, and comments on her blog.
Caruana Galizia was arrested on 8 March 2013 for breaking the political silence on the day before the 2013 general election, after posting videos mocking Joseph Muscat. She was questioned by the police before being released after a few hours. In November 2010, after commenting about the conservation of the Villa Guardamangia (the early-marriage home of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip of Great Britain), Caruana Galizia was described by The Daily Telegraph as the leading commentator in Malta.
In 2016, Caruana Galizia questioned how British millionaire Paul Golding acquired Palazzo Nasciaro in Naxxar, and from mid-2017 Caruana Galizia became a harsh critic of the new Nationalist opposition leader Adrian Delia.
Panama Papers
On 22 February 2016, Caruana Galizia's Running Commentary blog reported that Maltese government minister Konrad Mizzi had connections with Panama and New Zealand. This compelled the minister to reveal the existence of a New Zealand-registered trust two days later, which he claimed was set up to manage his family's assets. On 25 February, Caruana Galizia revealed that Prime Minister Joseph Muscat's chief of staff Keith Schembri owned a similar trust in New Zealand, which in turn held a Panama company.
The April 2016 Panama Papers leak confirmed that Mizzi owned the Panama company Hearnville Inc., and that Mizzi and Schembri had also started another company, Tillgate Inc. The companies were co-owned by the Orion Trust New Zealand Limited, the same trustees of Mizzi and Schembri's New Zealand trusts, Rotorua and Haast respectively. As the first person to break news of Mizzi's and Schembri's involvement in Panama, she was subsequently named by Politico as one of "28 people who are shaping, shaking and stirring Europe". The publication described her as a "one-woman WikiLeaks, crusading against untransparency and corruption in Malta".
In 2017, she alleged that Egrant, another Panama company, was owned by Michelle Muscat, wife of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat. Muscat claimed that the allegations were the reason he called the June 2017 general elections almost a year early, a vote which saw his Labour Party return to power. Caruana Galizia pointed out that an early election had already been planned.
On 20 November 2019, police arrested Yorgen Fenech, owner of the Dubai-based company 17 Black, on his yacht. This company had been featured in the journalist's investigative work on the Panama Papers in relation to Keith Schembri and Konrad Mizzi, who – along with cabinet member Chris Cardona – resigned their government posts on 26 November. Schembri was arrested, then released two days later, which brought many people into the streets through the weekend in the capital Valletta. From 20 November, crowds had begun calling on PM Joseph Muscat to resign (see 2019 Maltese protests) after he said he might pardon the "middleman" in the murder case.
Death
On 16 October 2017, Caruana Galizia was driving close to her home in Bidnija, when a car bomb placed in her leased Peugeot 108 exploded, killing her instantly. The blast occurred on Triq il-Bidnija (Bidnija Road), and left the vehicle scattered in several pieces across nearby fields.
Funeral
Caruana Galizia's remains were released for burial on 27 October 2017, and a public funeral was held on 3 November 2017 at the Rotunda of Mosta. Thousands of mourners attended the funeral. The day was observed as a national day of mourning in Malta. The funeral mass was conducted by Charles Scicluna, Archbishop of Malta, who in his homily told journalists "never to grow weary in your mission to be the eyes, the ears, and the mouth of the people".
President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and Prime Minister Joseph Muscat did not attend the funeral, saying that Caruana Galizia's family made it clear that they (Preca and Muscat) were not welcome. The Leader of the Opposition, Adrian Delia, was "conspicuous by his absence".
Among the people at the funeral were several high officials: Silvio Camilleri, Chief Justice of Malta; Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament; Harlem Désir, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media; Eddie Fenech Adami, former President of Malta and former leader of the Nationalist Party; Lawrence Gonzi, former Prime Minister of Malta and former leader of the Nationalist Party; and Simon Busuttil, former leader of the Nationalist Party.
Caruana Galizia was buried in the family grave at the Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery in Paola, Malta's largest burial ground.
Posthumous awards and honours
- Salle Daphne Caruana Galizia – press room dedication, November 2017, European Parliament Building, Strasbourg, France.
- Premio Leali delle Notizie – award dedicated to Daphne Caruana Galizia, 9 November 2017, Ronchi dei Legionari, Italy
- Holme Award – awarded 1 December 2017.
- Reporter Preis – awarded 1 December 2017, Reporter Forum, Berlin, Germany.
- Pegaso d'Argento – awarded 1 December 2017, Tuscan Regional Council, Italy
- Premio Giornalisti – awarded 14 December 2017, Tuscan Journalists Association, Italy
- Person of the Year – 2 December 2017, La Repubblica, Italy
- Nothing But The Truth – awarded 5 January 2018, Giuseppe Fava Foundation, Catania, Italy
- Tully Award for Free Speech – awarded 3 April 2018, Tully Center for Free Speech, Newhouse School, Syracuse University, USA
- Civitas Award – awarded 12 April 2018, Associazione Nazionale Donne Elettrici (A.N.D.E.), Nocera, Italy
- The Astor Award – awarded 16 April 2018, Commonwealth Press Union Media Trust, London, UK
- Anna Politkovskaya Award – awarded 23 April 2018, Swedish National Press Club, Stockholm, Sweden
- Libera Ragusa Presidio dedicated to the memory of Daphne Caruana Galizia on 30 April 2018
- Premio Mario Francese – awarded 2 May 2018, Sicilian Order of Journalists, Palermo, Italy
- Difference Day Honorary Title – awarded 5 May 2018, Brussels University Alliance, Brussels, Belgium
- Conscience-in-Media Award – awarded 18 May 2018, American Society of Journalists and Authors, New York City
- Contribution to Society Award – awarded 23 May 2018, European Leadership Awards, Brussels, Belgium
- Award for Journalists, Whistleblowers and Defenders of the Right to Information – 2018 award dedicated to Daphne Caruana Galizia, GUE/NGL, Strasbourg, France
- PEC 2018 – awarded 4 June 2018, Press Emblem Campaign, Geneva, Switzerland
- Newseum Memorial – rededicated 4 June 2018, Newseum, Washington D.C., USA
- Premio Luca Colletti – awarded 15 June 2018, Rome, Italy
- MCCV Annual Award – awarded 21 July 2018, Maltse Community Council of Victoria, Australia
- Commemoration – 4 October 2018, Themis & Metis, Camera dei Deputati, Rome, Italy
- War Reporters Memorial commemoration – 11 October 2018, Reporters Without Borders, Bayeux, France.
- Anti-Corruption Award – 21 October 2018, Transparency International.
- Premio Europeo Giornalismo Giudiziario e Investigativo – awarded 28 October 2018, Taormina, Italy
- Martin Adler Prize – awarded 1 November 2018, Rory Peck Trust, London, UK
- Golden Victoria for Press Freedom – 5 November 2018, German Free Press & VDZ, Berlin, Germany.
- Guardian Award – 6 May 2020, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, Austin, Texas, USA
- Allard Prize for International Integrity – 21 October 2020, The Allied Prize Foundation
- Memorial monument, Iveagh Gardens, Dublin – 9 December 2020, Front Line Defenders
See also
- 2019 Malta political crisis
- Ján Kuciak
- Frank Schneider (spy) § Sandstone
