An RTP team in Luanda was "expelled" from the Presidential Palace on Tuesday, before a meeting between the President of the Republic, Joao Lourenço, and the leader of UNITA, Adalberto Costa Júnior, a decision vehemently repudiated by the television station, journalists' unions in both countries and the Portuguese Government, which "seriously regretted the situation", stressing that "Portugal deeply respects freedom of the press".
In a note published this Friday on its official Facebook page, the Angolan Presidency states that RTP has over the years followed, "almost exclusively, the activities carried out by the Angolan Government", but that, "due to biased news" that has been broadcast by the station, the Angolan Government has decided to end the privilege of access to the Presidential Palace.
The presidency's statement states that RTP was notified on 15 April 2025 about the “cessation of its provision of services at events at the Presidential Palace”, a decision “ignored by RTP”, which appeared in the Palace's press room, “even though it knew that it was not on the list of bodies with authorised access, and was therefore asked to leave the premises, contrary to what was reported in the Portuguese press”.
“No Angolan journalist or television channel dares to enter a Presidential Palace without being accredited”, highlights the Angolan presidency, adding that it finds “this campaign of victimisation strange, which does not honour the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two countries”.
In a note sent to Lusa on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that "Portugal deeply respects freedom of the press and, therefore, seriously regrets the situation that occurred with RTP in Luanda", adding that "the Portuguese Government will convey its position, through the appropriate diplomatic channels, to the Angolan authorities".
RTP, for its part, expressed "deep concern and vehement repudiation" of the "expulsion of the team".
"Despite being duly accredited and legitimately exercising their journalistic function, the RTP professionals were removed from the press room, in a selective and discriminatory action that contrasts with the permanence of other journalists", reads the note of protest from RTP, which considered the attitude of the Angolan authorities "an attack on freedom of the press and a flagrant violation of the fundamental principles of journalism and democracy".
“RTP was also excluded from the WhatsApp group of the Presidency Press Centre, the official means of disseminating the institutional agenda of accredited media outlets,” in Angola, the Portuguese television channel lamented, reiterating its solidarity with its professionals.
The case also drew condemnation from the Portuguese and Angolan journalists’ unions, with the Angolan Journalists’ Union urging the Press Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic of Angola to “retract and reverse the measure.”
