Amnesty International recently published its report on the human rights situation worldwide. The report criticized the current regime in Togo.
The authorities cracked down on the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Against a backdrop of threats to press freedom, newspapers have been suspended and journalists sentenced to prison terms for "defamation" or publishing "false information". The ECOWAS Court of Justice ruled in three cases denouncing torture and other ill-treatment of detainees, as well as arbitrary arrests and detentions in Togo. Several NGOs have made allegations of corruption involving public authorities. Access to maternal health services was hampered by understaffing, dilapidated equipment and poor quality of care.
The parliamentary and regional elections originally scheduled for December have been postponed until April 13, 2024.
Freedom of expression and assembly
On February 1, the High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) imposed a three-month ban on the publication of the Liberté and Tampa Express newspapers. The decision concerning Tampa Express was taken after the CEO of Africa Global Logistics in Togo filed a complaint against the periodical for "defamation and publication of false information". Liberté was suspended after the Lomé Court of Appeal sentenced, on January 12, the daily's editor and a journalist on the editorial staff to a fine of five million CFA francs (around US$8,176) each, for disseminating false news and offending the Prime Minister. The latter had lodged a complaint in September 2022. On March 2, the Supreme Court overturned the temporary ban on publication of Liberté ordered by the HAAC.
On March 15, Ferdinand Ayité, a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and editor of the periodical L'Alternative, was sentenced along with Isidore Kowonou, editor-in-chief of the same newspaper, to three years' imprisonment and a fine of three million CFA francs (around US$4,828) for "contempt of authority" and "spreading falsehoods". Ferdinand Ayité had accused two members of the government of corruption. The two journalists have appealed against this decision and left the country to avoid serving their sentences.
On September 20, the Criminal Investigation Department summoned the editor of the Tampa Express to question him about his sources in connection with an article reporting corrupt practices in public service competitions.
Two journalists who had written that the Minister of Urban Planning had had money stolen from his home were detained for 18 days after the Minister filed a complaint against them for "defamation" and "incitement to revolt". They were released provisionally in December, but placed under judicial supervision; their passports were also confiscated.
Access from Togo to the Togo Debout website, a civil society platform, has been cut off. Togo Debout's representatives believed that the authorities were behind the shutdown, which followed the platform's critical stance on public policies and actions.
On October 11, the authorities banned a ceremony organized by NGOs to launch a project aimed at strengthening civil society and guaranteeing the protection and promotion of the right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. No formal notice had been served prior to the ban.
Torture and other ill-treatment
On June 7, the ECOWAS Court of Justice ordered the immediate release of 10 people who had been detained without trial since their arrest in 2019 for offences against state security. It also ordered Togo to compensate each plaintiff for their prolonged incarceration and ill-treatment in detention, and called on the authorities to investigate the ill-treatment. However, none of the detainees concerned has been released.
On July 5, the same court ordered the Togolese state to pay compensation to Agbogbo Kossi Edem for the violation of his human rights. This man had been arrested and beaten by law enforcement officers while taking part in a demonstration calling for the publication of the results of the 2020 presidential election. The Court ruled that his detention was arbitrary and ordered the State to investigate the ill-treatment he had suffered.
In November, the ECOWAS Court of Justice ordered the immediate release of 15 men who had been arrested in connection with the August 2017 protests, and ordered the state to pay them damages. The Court found a violation of their rights not to be subjected to torture or other ill-treatment and not to be arbitrarily detained.
Economic, social and cultural rights
In January, a report by the Court of Auditors revealed serious irregularities in the management of the COVID-19 Response and Solidarity Fund, set up to combat the economic consequences of the pandemic. Several NGOs and lawyers cited this report in a case examined in May by the ECOWAS Court of Justice, in which they denounced the authorities' inaction in preventing corruption and combating such practices.
The right to health
Access to maternal health services was hampered by understaffing, outdated equipment and poor quality of care1. This affected patient care during prenatal consultations and childbirth. Some maternity wards were understaffed and lacked the basic equipment and sanitary facilities needed to provide proper patient care, while midwives struggled to cope with excessive workloads.
Source: Amnesty International
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