Courage to Co-Host PACE Side Event on the Daphne Caruana Galizia Case in Strasbourg

26 June 2025 | 13:00–14:00 | Room 2, Palais de l’Europe

Courage International is proud to co-host an important side event at the upcoming session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), marking eight years since the assassination of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Entitled “Eight Years On: The Daphne Caruana Galizia Inquiry and the Role of PACE in Ensuring Justice,” the event will take place in Strasbourg on Thursday, 26 June 2025, at 1 PM in Room 2 of the Palais de l’Europe.

Organised in cooperation with Pieter Omtzigt (Netherlands, EPP), Rapporteur on the Daphne Caruana Galizia case, and the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation (represented by Corinne Vella), and sponsored by Konstantinos Efstathiou(Cyprus, SOC), the event will feature a panel discussion and Q&A moderated by Sunna Ævarsdóttir, Global Director of Courage International and former Chair of the PACE Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee (AS/JUR). Mr. Efstathiou will provide brief opening remarks.

Speakers will assess the current state of justice in Daphne’s case, the progress on the public inquiry’s recommendations, and the wider implications for press freedom and the rule of law in Europe. The event will also examine ongoing criminal proceedings in Malta and the systemic barriers that remain in the country’s judicial system.

Confirmed speakers include:

·       Pieter Omtzigt (Netherlands, EPP), PACE Rapporteur on the case

·       Sunna Ævarsdóttir, Global Director of Courage International and former AS/JUR Chair

·       Corinne Vella, journalist and sister of Daphne Caruana Galizia

This side event builds on the foundation laid by PACE’s 2019 Resolution 2293 and aims to ensure continued European oversight on justice for Daphne and accountability for her murder. The event is open to PACE members, Council of Europe bodies, human rights organisations, and accredited media.

For more information, please contact:
Sunna Ævarsdóttir
sunna@couragefoundation.org
+354 845 1311