For this we are changing the law

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2023-12-20T11:38:41+01:00Wed, 20th Dec '23, 11:38|

George Tabone “tal-Gram” is the witness for the government’s political case to remove temporary asset freezes for money laundering. He gives this heart-rending interview to Times of Malta describing pitifully how he suffered for years under a temporary asset freeze only to be eventually acquitted of the crimes he was accused of. Two courts have [...]

Despair is what they want for us

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2023-12-18T10:42:40+01:00Mon, 18th Dec '23, 10:42|

I wrote a piece in The Sunday Times yesterday that suggested we think about Citizens Assemblies, a way some democratic jurisdictions (Ireland and Iceland are leading examples) have looked at to increase participation and citizen engagement. The reaction to the suggestion was, to be kind, cool. To begin with, this is not the first time [...]

THE SUNDAY TIMES: Who prevents the president?

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2023-12-18T07:17:39+01:00Mon, 18th Dec '23, 07:17|

From my article in The Sunday Times yesterday: "Citizens’ assemblies were tested in Ireland before the abortion referendum. Ordinary people were found to have legitimate views and were capable of informed opinions after hearing the evidence and the arguments. The process of letting ordinary people speak and participate in the decision brought national unity over [...]

Listening in

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2023-12-14T07:43:52+01:00Thu, 14th Dec '23, 07:43|

There’s something deeply disturbing about a law that specifically empowers governments to listen in on conversations and tapping the devices of journalists and their relatives. Certainly, it’s a gross invasion of privacy. It also reinforces the slanderous idea that by virtue of being journalists they’re doing something wrong. It is, as it were, a profession [...]

Reflections after judgement

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2023-12-13T07:32:19+01:00Wed, 13th Dec '23, 07:32|

When you’ve just won a court case, you’re a poor judge of the qualities of the judge who ruled in your favour. Almost as poor a judge as you would be of the judge who just ruled against you. You must take my opinion of Judge Toni Abela with the seasoning the context I’m in [...]

A win for journalism, and a win for everyone’s basic rights

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2023-12-11T17:56:11+01:00Mon, 11th Dec '23, 17:56|

The Constitutional Court presided by Judge Toni Abela ruled today on a case I brought in September 2020 after I was denied reasonable access to assess living conditions in the prison and in detention centres. The court ruled that the government breached my fundamental right to free expression when they refused or ignored my requests [...]

Opposition takes stand against new law abolishing temporary asset freezes

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2023-12-11T10:55:14+01:00Mon, 11th Dec '23, 10:55|

Shadow minister Karol Aquilina released a statement by the PN signalling opposition to changes to the law that gives the state the power to freeze assets belonging to people charged with money laundering The PN statement said the government is rushing the changes through Parliament “for reasons that are obvious and known” in an apparent [...]

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