Africa-Press – Cape verde. The Cape Verdean Journalists’ Union (AJOC) stated today that 2025 was a “particularly demanding” year for journalism, marked by pressure and attempts at silencing, and renewed its commitment to press freedom.
In a message addressed to media professionals, on the occasion of the closing of another year and the beginning of a new one, AJOC considered that 2025 was marked by “profound challenges to the free exercise of journalism,” including “intimidation, reprisals, and pressure” on several journalists.
Despite the adverse context, it acknowledged that the year highlighted “the courage, rigor, and high sense of mission” of the journalistic class in Cape Verde.
The association expressed “concern and sadness” regarding administrative decisions recently made public within the public media, which resulted in the application of disciplinary sanctions to editorial officials.
As explained, these decisions stemmed from regulatory deliberations that confirmed illegitimate interference in editorial content, constituting “acts of retaliation and a serious attack” on press freedom and editorial independence.
“We reaffirm that we are not facing mere management conflicts, but unacceptable political and administrative interference that violates the law,” the statement pointed out, adding that it also affronts the Constitution of the Republic and jeopardizes fundamental democratic values.
The union reiterated that it continues to demand the intervention of the competent authorities and “expresses total solidarity” with the professionals targeted by pressure, persecution, or attempts at silencing.
In the same context, it vehemently repudiated public statements that suggest or legitimize the use of violence as a way to condition the practice of journalism, classifying them as serious, irresponsible, and incompatible with democratic principles and the rule of law.
The association considered that there is no room for the normalization of violence, especially when it stems from elected representatives, arguing that democratic institutions, particularly the organs of sovereignty, must clearly distance themselves from this type of discourse and reaffirm respect for the Cape Verdean press.
Ajoc recalled that journalists and other media professionals in Cape Verde carry out their mission with “professionalism and responsibility,” adding that no intimidation, verbal or physical, will prevent the fulfillment of the constitutional duty to inform, question, and oversee the established powers.
For More News And Analysis About Cape verde Follow Africa-Press
