On Thursday an independent public inquiry in Malta into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia found that the state of Malta was responsible for creating a ‘culture of impunity’.

Caruana Galizia was killed by a car bomb  on 16 October 2017.

The inquiry, conducted by one serving judge and two retired judges, found that a culture of impunity was created by the highest echelons of power within the government of the time.

The 437-page report issued by the inquiry was published on Thursday. The report states that officials had failed to adequately protect Caruana Galizia from threats to her life prior to her death in October 2017.

International Press Institute Europe Advocacy Officer Jamie Wiseman said to Al Jazeera: ‘The findings of the public inquiry are a vital step towards accountability and a key milestone in the long fight for justice for Daphne’s murder. But it is important that this report is not seen as closure, but rather as the beginning of a process of national reconciliation for Malta’.

Wiseman added: ‘It is essential that the Maltese state accepts its collective role and responsibility in creating the necessary conditions and culture of immunity which led to Daphne’s assassination and establishes a clear path towards addressing the systematic failures outlined in this report. This must be a catalyst for change, one that ensures Malta never again experiences the horrific murder of a journalist.’

In a statement, the Caruana Galizia family said: “The inquiry’s findings confirm the conviction our family held from the moment Daphne was assassinated: that her assassination was a direct result of the collapse of the rule of law and the impunity that the state provided to the corrupt network she was reporting on.

Three men suspected of setting off the bomb were arrested in December 2017. One has since pleaded guilty as part of a plea bargain and is serving a 15-year jail term.