CIVICUS discusses a recent crackdown on foreign media and the conditions for journalists in Guinea-Bissau with Indira Correia Baldé, president of the Union of Journalists and Media Technicians, an organisation that protects, defends and promotes freedom of expression, press freedom and labour rights of media professionals

On 15 August, the government of Guinea-Bissau suspended the activities of three Portuguese media outlets, ordering their journalists to leave the country by 19 August. The measure was taken without official explanation, amid growing political tensions. It came months after President Umaro Sissoco Embaló reneged on his promise not to run in the November election. The move represents a significant blow to press freedom and casts doubt on the transparency of the election.

What are the main challenges facing Guinean journalists?

Journalists face multiple risks when doing their job. They are threatened for reporting truthfully and ethically, and are often excluded from information circles for adopting a professional stance that is impartial and independent of obscure interests.

Access to sources of information is systematically limited, and many reporters are assaulted without perpetrators being held accountable. Even more worrying is the fact that the police, who should guarantee the safety of media professionals, are sometimes the first to intimidate them or remove them from their workplaces. Recently, there have been cases of serious physical assaults on journalists, armed attacks on radio stations – whose perpetrators remain unknown – and constant threats on social media by government sympathisers.

In addition to physical violence, media professionals face systematic restrictions on press freedom and freedom of expression, which are fundamental pillars of journalism. On public media, censorship, self-censorship and a lack of debate prevail.

The situation is aggravated by job insecurity. The sector is unattractive, with very low salaries, which leads many journalists to give in to external pressures, act as political activists or abandon the profession in search of better conditions in other parts of the economy.

How do journalists survive in this context?

To survive in this hostile environment, many journalists adopt self-preservation strategies. The climate of fear is such that many avoid asking questions or covering sensitive topics, particularly on television, voluntarily restricting the scope of their activity and avoiding political topics or public figures who react badly to fact-checking.

Several newsrooms have suspended debate and programmes that could generate negative reactions from political authorities. As an alternative, they have begun to give more prominence to cultural and social issues, which are considered less politically sensitive.

However, these strategies, although understandable, compromise professional standards and undermine the true meaning of being a journalist: to serve the public interest with truth and courage.

How did the government justify the expulsion of Portuguese media?

Over a month after the facts, the government’s explanations for the expulsion of journalists and three Portuguese media outlets – Agência Lusa, Radiodifusão Portuguesa (RDP) África and Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) África – remain scarce and unconvincing.

The measure was carried out abruptly, without prior notice or objective justification. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Pinto Pereira, promised clarification, but this was never provided. For his part, Prime Minister Braima Camará merely referred to ‘sovereignty issues’ without specifying what was at stake. Official silence persists.

This decision has a direct negative impact on the lives of Guineans, both in the country and in the diaspora. It’s through these media outlets, particularly RDP and RTP África, that many people remain connected to the national reality. Prohibiting their operation means restricting information pluralism, limiting freedom of expression and cutting off an essential link for the diaspora.

This measure constitutes a clear violation of the constitution, which guarantees the right to free and plural information. The exclusion of these media also prevents international bodies accessing realities only the media can document.

How might this situation affect the presidential election?

It’s important to remember that the election period is, by its very nature, a sensitive time that’s conducive to the proliferation of rumours, manipulation and lies. Guinea-Bissau, like any other country, is not immune to this phenomenon. In this context, the presence of international press is a crucial factor in ensuring balance, transparency and the protection of democratic truth.

The absence of international journalists covering the election may encourage attempts to manipulate information. Without impartial observers and extensive media coverage, there’s room for the spreading of fabricated information and political propaganda disguised as news. Who will be responsible for debunking fake news in an environment where independent media are silenced?

When journalists are silenced and media outlets are shut down, society as a whole loses: it loses access to the truth, it loses the ability to hold power to account and it loses trust in institutions.

What should Guinea-Bissau’s international partners do?

The international community must play an active and strategic role in defending press freedom. The African Union, Economic Community of West African States, European Union, United Nations, human rights organisations and journalists’ associations must publicly condemn acts of aggression, censorship, intimidation and arbitrary closure of media outlets, and demand that the authorities in Guinea-Bissau respect the democratic and constitutional principles that guarantee the right to information.

In addition to public condemnation, the international community must engage in direct dialogue with the government to call for the reversal of measures that limit the functioning of the press, continuously monitor the situation, provide technical and financial support to independent media outlets, protect journalists at risk and promote training and awareness-raising on the role of the press in a pluralistic democracy. Guinea-Bissau needs allies who defend freedom as a non-negotiable value.