Berne, Switzerland, Aug. 20, 2025 (Lusa) - The European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA), which represents the main news agencies on the continent, said on Wednesday that it was "deeply concerned" by the expulsion of Lusa, RTP and RDP from Guinea-Bissau.
"This decision, taken without transparent justification, represents a serious setback for the freedom and pluralism of the media in the country; independent and reliable journalism is not just a professional duty of media organisations, it is the basis of the fundamental right of societies to be informed in a correct and timely manner," reads a note sent to Lusa.
"Restricting this right jeopardises democratic processes, especially at a time when citizens most need access to balanced and reliable information," adds EANA, expressing its "deep concern".
In the note, the umbrella organisation for European news agencies stated that "as a long-standing and respected member of EANA, Lusa has consistently upheld the highest standards of impartial and fact-based journalism, serving the public in Portugal and beyond" and added that "its work in Guinea-Bissau can be recognised as essential to connecting communities, promoting understanding between the two countries and strengthening democratic discourse".
EANA also called on the Guinea-Bissau authorities "to reconsider this decision, restore access for independent media and ensure that the principles of press freedom are fully respected".
The decision to expel the journalists from Lusa, RTP and RDP who are permanently in the country accompanying Guinea-Bissau prompted a series of criticisms, including from the Portuguese government, which summoned the Guinean ambassador to Portugal to give explanations, after the President of Guinea-Bissau refused to explain the decision when he visited Cabo Verde.
After the meeting with his Guinea-Bissau counterpart, Carlos Pinto Pereira, the Portuguese Foreign Minister, Paulo Rangel, expressed the hope that the situation "can be overcome".
"This meeting, organised to make every effort to resume full normality in bilateral relations, constructively took place, leaving the positive expectation that the current situation can be overcome," he said in a brief note after the meeting in Lisbon on Monday.
Delegations from the Lusa news agency, RTP and RDP were expelled from Guinea-Bissau on Friday, 15th, their broadcasts were suspended that same day, and the representatives were told to leave the country by Tuesday, by decision of the Guinean government, but no reasons were given.
The news directorates of Lusa, RTP and RDP reacted jointly to the Guinean government's decision, which they described as "a deliberate attack on freedom of expression". They demanded that these media organisations "be allowed to continue exercising their right to inform in Guinea-Bissau".
MBA/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
