The Government seeks a solution after the expulsion of EFE and RTVE journalists in Morocco

The Government of Spain has defended press freedom this Saturday "at all times and in all parts of the world" and has indicated that it is looking for a solution after the expulsion from Castillejos, in Morocco, of the EFE and RTVE journalists who covered the migration crisis with Ceuta.

Government sources have assured that the Spanish embassy in Rabat is in permanent contact with the affected journalists and the Moroccan authorities and is seeking a solution.

For their part, both Agencia EFE and RTVE have defended the right to freedom of information in the exercise of journalism in their coverage in Morocco, where the country's authorities have asked the EFE and RTVE teams deployed to Castillejos to leave this town near Ceuta without explanations or justification.

This Saturday, Morocco expelled the EFE journalists who were in Fnideq (Castillejos) covering information related to the border with Ceuta. A representative of the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior asked reporters to leave the town without offering any explanation as to the reasons for the decision. The Moroccan official simply stated that he was "following instructions."

Miguel Ángel Oliver, president of EFE, has urged the Moroccan authorities to respect the "responsible and rigorous" free exercise of the journalists in charge of reporting what is happening this weekend in this city near Ceuta.

"The responsible and rigorous exercise of journalism is our main hallmark and we defend it both in Spain and in the rest of the world and, undoubtedly, in Morocco, where a prominent delegation from the EFE agency has been providing its service for 60 years," Oliver concluded.

The president of RTVE, José Pablo López, has also demanded from the Moroccan authorities "full guarantees and maximum respect" so that their journalists can exercise their profession freely at any point in the border area.