Health minister requests police investigation into Facebook comments about him

In a Facebook post, Abela said, “It is intolerable that someone thinks he can throw dirt then hide.”

Government officials and PL members have recently been increasingly vocal about freedom of speech issues. Last September, former PL president Ramona Attard bluntly stated that the decriminalisation of criminal libel was a mistake. 

Prime Minister Robert Abela was hesitant to say whether or not he agrees with that statement, adding, “What’s important is that we don’t let freedom of speech be abused.”

A few days ago, justice minister Jonathan Attard spoke of “those” who are currently expressing doubts about the adequacy of civil defamation remedies and the capping on damages. “One regret I have is that we have not yet acted robustly to protect the victims of those who abuse freedom of expression. Those young people who are subjected to all types of bullying online, in a period that could mark their lives forever.”