Bissau, July 28, 2025 (Lusa) - The Guinea-Bissau Human Rights League on Monday described the attack on Waldir Araújo, a reporter for Portuguese state broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) in Bissau, as "a clear attack on press freedom and the rule of law".
Araújo, a journalist with the Portuguese public broadcaster in Guinea-Bissau, was physically assaulted and verbally abused on Sunday and had some of his personal belongings stolen by unknown individuals in the centre of Bissau.
The journalist reported that his attackers accused RTP of “denigrating the image of Guinea-Bissau abroad”.
At a press conference, Bubacar Turé, president of the Guinea-Bissau Human Rights League, demanded "with the utmost urgency" that the judicial authorities identify those responsible for the attack on Waldir Araújo and that they be held accountable.
The Guinea-Bissau Human Rights League described the act as “a heinous and intolerable attack”.
“We strongly condemn the violent and cowardly attack on journalist Waldir Araújo, which is a clear attack on press freedom and the rule of law,” said Bubacar Turé.
On Sunday, the news directors of Rádio e Televisão de Portugal condemned the attack on journalist Waldir Araújo, RTP's correspondent in Guinea-Bissau, and called on the authorities to conduct an urgent investigation and hold the perpetrators accountable.
“The integrity and safety of professionals is a fundamental condition for the exercise of journalism and all acts that jeopardise them are absolutely reprehensible,” reads the joint statement, in which the news directors say they are monitoring the situation and in contact with journalist Waldir Araújo, to whom they express their total solidarity.
The RTP Editorial Board also expressed “total solidarity” with the station’s representative in Guinea-Bissau and called for an investigation into the case, condemning violence against journalists.
The Union of Journalists and Media Technicians (Sinjotecs) of Guinea-Bissau also condemned the attack and assault on the journalist and demanded "a swift and thorough investigation by the authorities, with the identification and prosecution of those responsible for this attack".
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