WEBVTT

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[Eva Deutsch, Host] We are now taking a one-hour trip
to the smallest EU member state.

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The country is 100 square kilometres smaller than Vienna,

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the capital has only 6,500 inhabitants,

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the capital is also currently the European Capital of Culture

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and the official language sounds
like a mixture of Arabic, Italian and English.

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We are talking about Malta,
the small island state in the Mediterranean Sea,

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My colleague, FM4 reporter Lukas Lottersberger was recently in Malta

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as part of the journalism programme "Eurotours 2018"

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and brought back some interesting stories
that we will hear in the next hour.

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For example, we will hear what is currently happening
on the "Lifeline" sea rescue ship,

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which is stuck in the port of Valletta.

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We get a little insight into the small Maltese indie scene.

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And at the beginning we hear what has happened and is happening

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in the case of the murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

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More on that in a moment.

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[pause with songs]

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She was Malta's best-known journalist and blogger:

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Daphne Caruana Galizia - often just called Daphne in public.

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In her blog "Running Commentary" she combined gossip and trivia with political commentary,

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and also published her investigative research there.

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The focus of this: corruption, questionable government business and money laundering.

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Almost a year ago, on 16 October 2017, Daphne was murdered with a car bomb.

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Who was behind it remains unclear.

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Some do not want to rule out the possibility
that politics may have had a hand in it

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- but this is denied by Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat

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Lukas Lottersberger spoke to people in Malta who are trying to ensure

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that investigations continue and intensify in the Daphne case.

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These activist are at loggerheads with the government.

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[atmospheric sounds in the Town of Valletta, Malta]

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[Lukas Lottersberger, Reporter]
It is evening in Valletta, the capital of Malta.

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Many tourists go in and out
of the city gate between the massive fortress walls.

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A few hundred metres into the city,
you reach the "Great Siege Monument".

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It commemorates
the Ottoman siege of Valletta in 1565.

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The monument also serves as an makeshift memorial

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for the Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia,

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who was murdered a year ago.

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Candles burn, flowers and pictures of Daphne lie on the ground.

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The location for the makeshift memorial is not chosen by chance.

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Directly opposite is the courthouse. Thus, a reminder to the justice system.

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Since the beginning of September,

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a bizarre battle has been raging between the government

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and Daphne supporters:

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The monument was recently fenced off

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- officially because it was to be restored.

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Since then, the flowers and candles

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have been regularly cleared away by rubbish collectors.

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[female Daphne supporter]: It's a baby-ish way

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of trying to cover

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an assassination of a journalist.

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That is all. It's a very babyish way, I mean...

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Little children do that.

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They try to cover their sin.

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[L.L.] says a passers-by.

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The restoration is just a pretext

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to clear away the memorial for Daphne every day,

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say the activists of "OccupyJustice"

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- a protest group demanding justice for the murdered journalist.

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The day after my visit,

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the candles and flowers were gone again.

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I meet Manuel Delia, a Maltese blogger and activist,

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at the fenced-off and freshly cleared monument.

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[Manuel Delia] The flowers and candles at the memorial

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have been removed now 20 times

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and replaced 19 of those times

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The last removal was this morning

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and as you can see nothing has happened yet.

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He and the other supporters
see these removals as a violation of their rights:

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[Manuel Delia] It is a breach of our fundamental rights.

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First of all our right of freedom of expression.

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The ability to say something that

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the government does not like.

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[L.L.] Suddenly a crowd forms

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in front of the fenced monument.

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It's the activists from OccupyJustice.

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They have had enough of the removals

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allegedly ordered by the Maltese Minister of Justice, Owen Bonnici.

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[Pia Zammit, Activist] This is direct censorship from the state.

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[L.L.] says Pia Zammit, actress and "OccupyJustice" activist.

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In protest, the candles and flowers for Daphne

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are today placed in front of the Ministry of Justice.

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[Pia Zammit] Because this is the place
where freedom of speech has come to die.

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And so we are leaving flowers and candles

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at the cemetary where freedom of speech is now dead and buried.

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[Woman reading pamphlet in Maltese]

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Maltese media described the bizarre fight

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around the makeshift memorial for Daphne

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as a "cat and mouse game" between the government and activists.

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A comparison that the relatives of Daphne Caruana Galizia

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find more than cynical.

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Because, they say, a human being died

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- and this is not a game.

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The supporters do not want to give up:

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Now around the anniversary of the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia,

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there will be several actions

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- for example a protest march

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and on the anniversary itself the monthly vigil.

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Solidarity actions for Daphne are also planned in other countries.

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This is a FM4 Homebase Special Issue
about Malta by Lukas Lottersberger.

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[song pause]

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Who ordered the murder of Maltese journalist

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Daphne Caruana Galizia?

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Since almost a year

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this question remains unanswered.

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The investigation is dragging

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many people criticise.

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Another accusation is

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that the Maltese police and judiciary are not independent.

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Lukas Lottersberger also met Corinne Vella in Malta

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- she is the sister of the murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia

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He wanted to know from her what is happening

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in the case and what has changed in Malta since the awful assassination.

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[Corinne Vella, Daphne's sister]

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Too little has happened,

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says Corinne Vella,

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a sister of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

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She's referring to the slow investigations in the case.

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What happened since then?

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[Corinne Vella, Daphne's sister]

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Since December 2017

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three men are in pre-trial detention.

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The alleged hit men of Daphne Caruana Galizia,

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who, one year after the assassination,

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are still being investigated.

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Meanwhile, a group of international journalists

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continues Daphne's investigative work.

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The issues: Money laundering, corruption

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and the involvement of Maltese politicians in white-collar crime.

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[Corinne Vella, Daphne's sister]

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It is still unclear

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who is behind the assassination.

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The fact is: Daphne Caruana Galizia was controversial during her lifetime

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because she repeatedly became very personal in her blog.

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[Rachel Attard,
Chief Editor "The Malta Independent"]

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Rachel Attard is
Chief Editor of the newspaper "The Malta Independent".

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Daphne used to be its co-publisher for a long time

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and a columnist until her passing.

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For Rachel, there were two Daphnes in one:

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[Rachel Attard]

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Blogger Daphne, has further divided

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an already quite divided Maltese society with her comments,

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says Rachel.

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[Rachel Attard]

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Whether the suspected contract killers

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will soon be brought to a court and,

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above all, whether those behind them will ever be caught, is still uncertain.

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The family of the murdered journalist

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sees failures on the part of politics, the police and the judiciary.

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The relatives want the case to be examined in a public enquiry.

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[Corinne Vella]

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[Eva Deutsch, Host] In a recent interview,
Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said

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that such a public enquiry was not necessary.

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In the same interview, Muscat claimed

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that the family had confidence in the Maltese institutions.

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And that the authorities would do everything to solve the case.

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[song pause]

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This is FM4 Homebase with Eva Deutsch and with a special issue on Malta.

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Our reporter Lukas Lottersberger was recently there
for the Eurotours 2018 programme

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and brought us some stories and also music.

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We just listened to "She's the one" by Bark Bark Disco.

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Malta's capital Valletta is the European Capital of Culture this year,

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together with the Dutch city Leeuwarden.

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Throughout the year, there are dozens of events, exhibitions, concerts -

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lots of culture in and around Valletta.

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And when Lukas was in Malta,
there was a small indie festival in St. Julian's: BEWYLD.

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Lukas met the organiser of BEWYLD, Shawn James.

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A good opportunity to get a little insight into the Maltese indie scene.

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[Shawn James, Organiser of BEWYLD]

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Shawn James has been living in London,

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Lisbon and Berlin for the last few years

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- and what they can do, Malta can do too,

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he probably thought.

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With "BEWYLD", Shawn has set up a small DIY festival there

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this year with a focus on "quirky lo-fi music".

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With international and Maltese acts.

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[Shawn James]

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The small island on the periphery of Europe

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with a population of a few hundred thousand

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almost makes you want to compare it with Iceland.

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But when it comes to pop exports,

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Malta is not as successful as the far north.

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For Shawn James, this is also due to the lack of structures.

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[Shawn James]

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For many Maltese musicians,

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the only way to success is leaving the country.

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And some of them have come back

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to their old homeland to perform at the BEWYLD Festival.

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For example Rebecca, who now lives in Berlin.

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The musician and is on stage twice today.

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As the drummer of the garage rock band "Bark Bark Disco"

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[Bark Bark Disco - She's The One]

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and solo as "Hearts Beating In Time" with synth and dreampop.

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[Hearts Beating In Time - Lover's High]

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Rebecca is happy that there's some movement in the Maltese indie scene.

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And the festival here in her home country
is a good opportunity to make new contacts:

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[Rebecca, Musician]

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The Bewyld Festival took place as part of the Capital of Culture year.

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For the small indie scene on the 450,000-inhabitant island of Malta,

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events like this are a springboard.

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Shawn James has one big wish for Malta's music scene:

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[Shawn James]

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[Eva Deutsch, Host] And we're listening to Maltese music again.

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This is Rebecca aka Hearts Beating in Time,

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who we heard in the piece before - with her song "Lover's High".

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[song pause]

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This is FM4 Homebase with Eva Deutsch on the mic
and a special issue on Malta.

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Especially with Italy, there are repeated conflicts about responsibilities and the acceptance of refugees from the African region.

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Since the end of June, three NGO sea rescue ships have been detained in the port of Valletta

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and are not allowed to leave.

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One of these ships is "Lifeline"

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- from the Dresden-based NGO "Mission Lifeline".

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Lukas Lottersberger went on board
in Malta and talked to the current crew.

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[Voice of speakerphones on ship] Guten Morgen, my fine crew.

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The morning meeting is about to start.

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Please head towards the forward bridge deck

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with bags of enthusiasm and your brightest smile.

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Thank you!

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The day starts early on the Lifeline.

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At 7:30 a.m. crew member Marc gets the crew together

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to plan the day and discuss current events.

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The "Lifeline" is a former research vessel

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built in 1968 and

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since 2017 in service for the Dresden-based NGO Mission Lifeline.

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The crew is always changing

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- currently it consists of a good 10 people.

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Most of them have not been on rescue missions at all

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- but they want to be ready

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in case the ship is allowed to leave the port.

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Inside the ship, Neeske is sitting in a small cabin

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and is currently in contact with
a civilian search and rescue plane heading for the Libyan coast.

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[Neeske] It's just a really important task

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These planes are a real big help in our search and rescue work

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that the NGOs are carrying.

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[L.L.] If the plane spots a boat with refugees on the open sea,

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they try to initiate a rescue.

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The situation has become more confusing, says Neeske.

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NGO ships are being held back in ports,

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are not allowed to leave, like here in Valletta

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- or are no longer allowed to dock elsewhere

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if they have refugees on board.

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No one knows exactly how many people

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are currently trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean.

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[Neeske] We know, that they are leaving. That people die every day

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trying to reach Europe via the Mediterranean.

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But how many people... That we can only guess.

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[L.L.] Richard is a machinist on board.

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He was on Lifeline's last mission in June

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[Richard] On that mission, we saved 465 people

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234 we could take to Malta.

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[L.L.] Where did the people stay on the rescue ship?

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[Richard] We're sitting on the bridge on deck now.

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Here, there was no inch of free space left between the people.

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Especially when they slept at night.

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[L.L.] Did you experience any dicey or dangerous situations under these circumstances?

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And were you lucky with the weather?

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[Richard] We were extremely lucky with the weather at the beginning.

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But then there were stronger waves...

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That's... The boat is shuffling more,

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you get waves over the railings and people get wet,

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that's hairy, yeah.

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But the passengers on board were extremely grateful

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and also calm during these situations.

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Sure, the crew has exemplified this.

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With calm and with a sense of community everything worked

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and the passengers helped out with serving food,

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cleaned the deck,

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it was, actually, despite the dramatic situation very nice

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to experience so much humanity.

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[L.L.] After the last mission at the end of June,

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the "Lifeline" was detained in Malta

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and the captain at the time, Claus-Peter Reisch,

00:16:45.740 --> 00:16:47.740
was put on trial.

00:16:47.940 --> 00:16:49.940
Since then they have been waiting patiently

00:16:50.140 --> 00:16:52.140
For machinist Richard it is:

00:16:52.340 --> 00:16:54.340
[Richard] The management of standstill.

00:16:56.550 --> 00:17:00.730
How this standstill came about and what the crew wants to do about it,

00:17:00.930 --> 00:17:02.930
we will hear about this after this song from Amadou & Mariam.

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[song pause]

00:17:15.540 --> 00:17:17.540
The rescue ship "Lifeline" saved hundreds of people in distress

00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:19.680
in the Mediterranean last year.

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The ship has been in the port of Valletta

00:17:23.050 --> 00:17:25.050
for more than three months.

00:17:25.190 --> 00:17:27.190
A trial against the ship's former captain Claus-Peter Reisch

00:17:27.300 --> 00:17:29.300
has been underway in Malta since June,

00:17:29.470 --> 00:17:31.470
with no real progress.

00:17:31.550 --> 00:17:34.510
Lukas Lottersberger visited the crew on board

00:17:34.690 --> 00:17:38.180
and asked how this messy situation came about.

00:17:38.380 --> 00:17:40.380
[Neeske] This absurd situation is based on

00:17:40.580 --> 00:17:42.580
a tweet by (Matteo) Salvini

00:17:42.780 --> 00:17:44.780
who claimed that

00:17:44.980 --> 00:17:46.980
the Dutch authorities said

00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:49.180
our ships wouldn't be registered correctly

00:17:49.380 --> 00:17:51.380
and would not run under Dutch flag.

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[L.L.] explains "Lifeline" crew member Neeske.

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For Italian vice premier and foreign minister Matteo Salvini

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the NGO rescue ships are a thorn in the side

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The controversy over the correct registration of the "Lifeline"

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has led to it being detained by the authorities in Valletta.

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The ship sailed under the Dutch flag.

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Whether rightly or not is currently being clarified in court.

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What is true: The Lifeline was not registered in the official Dutch shipping register,

00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:22.960
but as a sports boat or yacht.

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You can find lots of agencies offering such services on the internet.

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[Female ad voice]

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[L.L.]...and it seems tousands of boats, yachts and ships

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are registered like that and at sea.

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The question that concerns authorities and courts is:

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Is such a registration sufficient to operate a private rescue vessel?

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The NGO Mission Lifeline is convinced

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that its registration is correct and valid.

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Because Dutch authorities are holding back evidence

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the process is dragging on.

00:19:00.140 --> 00:19:09.080
[Marc, Crew Member Lifeline]

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It is a systematic delay, says crew member Marc

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- a Briton who until recently worked in the EU Parliament

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The entire fleet of private rescue ships in the Mediterranean

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is currently at a standstill - including the "Aquarius",

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which has been repeatedly refused entry to ports in recent weeks.

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States are not obliged to accept ships with rescued persons.

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However, ships at sea must rescue people in distress

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Traffickers and refugees would take advantage

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of this internationally valid rule in the Mediterranean, some criticise.

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Crew member Marc, however,
makes it clear, what NGOs want to achieve:

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to save human lives.

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[Marc, Crew Member Lifeline]

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Ironing out the contradictions of European asylum policy,

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that's not the responsibility of NGOs.

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[Marc, Crew Member Lifeline]

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[Eva Deutsch, Host] And a few days ago
there was an update from Mission Lifeline.

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With the help of donations,
the NGO was able to get a replacement ship

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that shall soon be on its way again to save people in the Mediterranean.

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And another great honour for the association:

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Together with other NGOs,
Mission Lifeline has been nominated for the Sakharov Prize

00:20:48.950 --> 00:20:53.400
- the human rights prize of the EU Parliament