Christophe Deloire, Secretary-General of RSF has died, aged 53

It is with profound sadness that we learned today of the untimely death of Christophe Deloire, Secretary-General for many years of Reporters Without Borders. Under his direction, RSF has been a constant source of support and inspiration in the pursuit of justice for Daphne’s assassination and instrumental in defining the campaign for accountability as emblematic of justice for journalists’ murders everywhere.

Days after Daphne’s death on 16 October 2017, Christophe Deloire addressed the crowd in Valletta with the call “je suis Daphne”. One month later, he was present at the inauguration of the Daphne Caruana Galizia press room in Strasbourg. The following year, he led the delegation at the Mémorial des reporters, created by RSF in Bayeux in Northern France, commemorating the fallen of the previous year, including Gauri Lankesh, Shah Marai, and Daphne, among others, ensuring their names and their deaths will not be forgotten. The following month, on International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, he led a minute of silence on Place de Varsovie in Paris opposite the Eiffel tower as, at RSF’s request, its lights were turned off to mark the day and commemorate Jamal Khashoggi, Daphne, and all the other journalists in the world whose murders had so far gone unpunished. The next year, he was back in Valletta, to lead a press freedom mission and to address the crowds who gathered on the anniversary of Daphne’s assassination.

On countless other occasions and in many other ways Christophe Deloire pursued justice for Daphne. His commitment to press freedom and accountability were unwavering. His loss will be felt deeply by his colleagues and associates around the world, by all those whose causes he has championed, but most of all by those closest to him, especially his wife and son. As for us, we will remain eternally grateful for all that he has done and will remember him.