"In recent months, we have registered the complaint of some journalists, including the Union of Angolan Journalists [SJA], about the impediment of the exercise of journalistic activity, by some staff of the Ministry of the Interior, a situation that we regret", said Eugénio Laborinho.
The official, who was speaking during a meeting with the SJA, at the ministry's headquarters, in which the detention of journalists by the police was addressed, asked for "better identification of professionals".
In the scope of institutional cooperation, he hopes that "the SJA appeals to journalists to be better identified, in the exercise of their activity, to facilitate the work of law enforcement, allowing differentiated treatment".
The meeting was requested by the SJA following constant reports of journalists' arrests in recent months, particularly during the coverage of public demonstrations, and in the demonstration, last Saturday, the correspondent of the German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, Borralho Ndomba, was arrested in Luanda.
Borralho, already at liberty and covering the demonstration against the imposition of haircuts in schools, was arrested along with 14 other students.
The detention of the professional who covered the demonstration was disapproved, at the time, by the secretary general of the SJA, Teixeira Cândido, who also asked for clarification from the authorities.
The Interior Minister considered it important to consolidate relations between his organization and journalists, stating that "the missions of each one reflect on the other's actions".
"As you know, the journalistic class needs public order and security to carry out their work effectively, and the forces of the Ministry of the Interior need journalists to pass on the messages to society about the support they should provide to the defense bodies, security and internal order", he defended.
For the official, journalists and police "are destined to live and coexist together" because, he argued, "both pursue the common objective of satisfying the social needs of citizens".
The Ministry of the Interior "has the difficult task of enforcing laws, in cases where they are violated, as well as guaranteeing the free exercise of the rights and freedoms of citizens and public and private institutions", he pointed out.
"We want the relations between the Ministry of Interior and Angolan and foreign journalists to be excellent in accordance with the law", concluded Eugénio Laborinho.
Teixeira Cândido, secretary general of the SJA, and the president of the Journalists' Portfolio and Ethics Commission, Luísa Rogério, represented journalists at this meeting.
On behalf of the Ministry of the Interior, in addition to Eugénio Laborinho, also present were the Secretary of State for the Interior, José Paulino, the General Commander of the National Police of Angola, Arnaldo Carlos, and the Director General of the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC), António Benje.
