Former home affairs minister Louis Galea has posted a series of questions following yesterday's car bomb killing of blogger Daphne Caruana Galizia.
"Was this brutal murder avoidable? There is no doubt that this is a murder with evident political connotations. Daphne has often spoken about the danger she was running with the investigations she was carrying on, with her journalistic reporting and with the Running Commentary in which she fearlessly exposed all that resulted to her and her reflections and questions on it. She even reported threats to her safety and life and to her family to the police. What protection did the police provide?" Dr Galea asked.
"Daphne was a classic case of a person who required State protection. It was unspoken common knowledge that she was at risk. What did the authorities do to assess the risk and to ensure all necessary steps were in place?
It was unspoken common knowledge that she was at risk.
The State of Malta, its government and its institutions had the sacred and constitutional duty to safeguard the safety and life of Daphne and her family, Dr Galea said.
"How did the State and all responsible carry out this duty?
"Such situations require impartial and independent institutions who can proactively and effectively assess the type, quality and level of risk a citizen in the position of Daphne was facing.
"It is not rocket science to provide the necessary security whether the individual asks for it or not, and whether such an individual is an easy person to protect or not. This is a question of public interest and of rule of law and order.
Allowing Daphne Caruana Galizia to be so cruelly murdered was a failure of the State, of its government and of its institutions.
"Authorities were in duty bound to provide such security while at the same time guaranteeing her the full liberty to exercise her profession in the full respect of her freedom of expression."
Dr Galea said that allowing Daphne Caruana Galizia to be so cruelly murdered was a failure of the State, of its government and of its institutions.
"She should have been properly, professionally and effectively protected, however difficult this could have been for the authorities given the personality involved.
"The murder of one of Malta's most important, visible, fearless journalist confirms why it is essential and urgent to ensure that our institutions can really be professional and completely independent and impartial in the carrying out of their duties, in particular when it comes to protect and safeguard the fundamental rights of persons, first and foremost the right to life and one's safety, and her sacred right to express herself freely, a right that was so poorly protected."