Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie on Monday joined over 250 others from PEN International, a worldwide association of writers, to condemn Malta’s failure to shed light on the killing of investigative journalist Daphne Galizia.

PEN international was founded in London in 1921, to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere.

“An ongoing murder probe “does not meet the standards of independence, impartiality and effectiveness required under international human rights law,’’ an open letter by PEN International said.

The international writers’ group, speaking out six months after Caruana Galizia’s death, also accused a leading Maltese official of offending the slain reporter’s memory.

According to the open letter, Jason Micallief, leader of the Valletta 2018 European Capital of Culture event, repeatedly and publicly ridiculed Caruana Galizia on social media.

“Micallief reportedly ordered the removal of banners calling for justice for her death and called for her temporary memorial to be cleared,’’ PEN International said.

The group called on the European Commission to investigate Micallief’s behaviour and demand his resignation if his conduct is confirmed.

“There can be no tolerance for the ridiculing of the assassination of a journalist in the heart of the EU, especially from the very authorities entrusted to promote the EU’s media and culture,’’ it concluded.

Galizia, 53, was killed by a car bomb on Oct. 16, 2017, causing international outrage.

In a separate Monday development, 18 media outlets, including Germany’s Die Zeit, NDR, WDR and Sueddeutsche Zeitung, joined forces to honour Galizia’s legacy.

They worked to complete her unfinished stories, and their findings will be published from Tuesday, as part of the so-called Daphne Project. (Dpa/NAN)

– Apr. 16, 2018 @ 16:44 GMT