Repubblika says government is intimidating civil society activists

NGO Repubblika expressed its disappointment over Prime Minister Robert Abela's remarks where he questioned whether Jason Azzopardi was given a reserved parking spot by the poilce due to "special treatment."

Abela's comments came after MaltaToday reported that Labour propagandist Emanuel Cuschieri criticised the rationale behind the police's decision to give Jason Azzopardi a reserved parking spot. The spot was in fact given to Azzopardi by Transport Malta following a police order, after an assessment found he is a high-risk target. 

In a statement on Tuesday, Repubblika stated that Azzopardi's risk stems from his work against corruption.

"Following comments made by Labour Party spokesperson Emmanuel Cuschieri, Prime Minister Robert Abela mocked the security risks faced by Jason Azzopardi. Worse still, he suggested that Azzopardi had been given some sort of privilege or undeserved reward, implying that the police acted out of fear of his criticism."

The NGO stated that government has a duty to protect those who criticise it. Instead, they blasted government for doing the opposite, increasing intimidation and fuelling public hatred against civil society activists.

"This is the same atmosphere that a public inquiry described and documented when it found the government responsible for the death of Daphne Caruana Galizia."