Chronology of the Case
From the 2018 Survey to the European Ombudsman’s Decision
A brief record of the case, from the study to the European Ombudsman’s Decision and after. In the interest of transparency, DEMOS has published every document it gave the Ombudsman, and every exchange with her office, on vozesdopovo.org. Each claim can be checked against its source.
Apr–Jul 2018
DEMOS conducts Guinea-Bissau’s first national public opinion survey, with support from the European Union (EU). On 18 July, the EU Ambassador, Victor Madeira dos Santos, presides over the presentation of the results in Bissau.
Jun 2019
The EU and DEMOS sign a contract for a follow-up study: further research on the survey data, a book, and its publication.
Aug 2020
An addendum to the contract adds an English edition, for publication with an academic press.
5 Nov 2021
The EU Delegation’s Head of Cooperation writes: “we fully support your ambition for publication.”
26 Nov 2021
Rita Laranjinha, Managing Director for Africa of the European External Action Service, the EU’s diplomatic service, meets President Umaro Sissoco Embaló in private, in Bissau.
27 Nov 2021
The EU Ambassador, Sónia Neto, congratulates DEMOS on a “fantastic study.” The Portuguese volume is ready for print.
29 Nov 2021
The EU Delegation writes: “Do NOT go to print.” The release of the entire study, two books included, is blocked. No reason is given.
15 Dec 2021
The Delegation proposes a new addendum that would remove the English edition from the contract. DEMOS declines in January 2022.
28 Jun 2022
The Delegation declares any publication “strictly prohibited.”
9 Aug 2022
President Embaló decorates Ambassador Neto.
22 Oct 2022
After DEMOS launches a petition and takes the case to the European Commission in Brussels, publication can “go ahead.”
20 Mar 2023
A new condition: free distribution only. In essence, no publication with an academic press.
21 Apr 2023
The Commission refuses conciliation: it sees “no added value in entering into further negotiations.”
31 Jan 2024
The Portuguese volume is printed, more than two years late, and posted online free of charge. As of October 2026, only five printed copies have reached Guinea-Bissau.
29 Apr 2024
DEMOS complains of censorship and the violation of fundamental rights to the European Ombudsman, the independent body that investigates complaints about maladministration in the EU institutions.
11 Jul 2024
DEMOS is registered outside the EU and cannot ordinarily complain to the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, opens an inquiry on her own initiative.
5 Sep 2024
The inquiry team meets the Commission: the only meeting held in the inquiry. None is held with DEMOS. There, the Commission gives its first explanation: some conclusions “could undermine the EU’s relations with Guinea-Bissau.”
1 Nov 2024
The African Studies Association writes to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, urging a positive resolution and the safeguarding of academic freedom.
20 Nov 2024
DEMOS responds to the Commission’s positions.
13 Jan 2025
The Ombudsman puts four further questions to the Commission. The answers are never shared with DEMOS.
5 May 2025
President Embaló decorates Ms. Laranjinha.
8 Jul 2025
The Ombudsman’s Decision, under her successor, Teresa Anjinho: “No further inquiries are justified.” One suggestion: that EU Delegations make publication conditions clear to contractors.
26 Nov 2025
A military coup in Guinea-Bissau halts the announcement of the presidential election results. By all appearances, Embaló had lost.
5 Dec 2025
The Commission tells the Ombudsman it will teach its staff the “public good” rule: a study commissioned under its external-action contracts may only be given away, never sold.
24 Apr 2026
The Ombudsman’s office forwards the Commission’s December 2025 reply to DEMOS.
Nov 2026
DEMOS responds to the Decision with three papers: The Price of a Relationship, The Devil Is in the Details, and Restrictions on Academic Freedom (PDF).
The full record. A detailed chronology, with each entry linked to its document, is on vozesdopovo.org: The Case. The complete archive of 35 documents is on Documentation. The inquiry and its Decision are discussed on The Ombudsman’s Decision.
See also: Seven Takeaways ● Voices of the People
DEMOS’s Open Letter to the European Union, published in January 2024, sets out the facts of the case up to that date.