Lusa – Business News – Macau: Media alarmed at Portugal, EU silence over closure of Macau newspaper
Macau, China, Oct. 31, 2025 (Lusa) – An association of media professionals on Friday expressed concern about Portugal’s silence following the announcement of the closure of the online independent newspaper and monthly print publication “All About Macau”.
The Journalists and Communication Professionals in Asia (JOCPA) expressed “deep concern about the silence of the authorities and international institutions — including Portugal and the European Union” (EU).
Lisbon and Brussels “have a moral and historical responsibility to defend the rule of law and fundamental rights, including freedom of the press and freedom of expression,” said JOCPA President Josep Solano, quoted in a statement.
Macau, which was under Portuguese administration for more than 400 years, passed to Chinese administration in 1999 under an agreement that stipulated that the region should maintain fundamental rights and freedoms, including freedom of the press, for the first 50 years.
“Freedom of the press in Macau is also a European concern: defending it means keeping alive the spirit of cooperation, pluralism and respect for fundamental rights that the EU claims to represent,” JOCPA added.
All About Macau announced on Thursday that it will close due to “increasing pressure,” lack of resources and legal proceedings in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory against three of its journalists.
“Faced with increasingly scarce resources, growing external pressure and journalists involved in legal proceedings, the team is finding it increasingly difficult to maintain its standards,” it explained, indicating that this month will see the last monthly print publication and that from 20 December, the website and social media activity will be shut down.
In a post on Facebook, All About Macau recalled that “since October last year certain official events have restricted the participation of journalists in their coverage.”
In April this year, the “publication was again prevented from covering the Legislative Assembly,” (parliament) with three of its journalists “facing charges related to this incident” and potentially “subject to criminal proceedings,” the media outlet added.
On 17 April, the police arrested two journalists from All About Macau for “disrupting the functioning of the territory’s institutions” when they tried to enter the local parliament hall to attend the presentation of this year’s political programme in the area of Administration and Justice.
The Public Security Police referred the case to the public prosecutor’s office on the same day.
Also today, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) argued that the region’s authorities “should stop persecuting” All About Macau and restore the registration of the online newspaper and monthly print publication.
“The closure of All About Macau is a blow to press freedom and seriously undermines the public’s right to independent information. It is indicative of the rapidly deteriorating media environment in Macau,” lamented CPJ’s Asia leader, Beh Lih Yi.
VQ/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
