During a 25 June 2004 telephone interview in Bremen, Germany, the national president of the Togolese Association Against the Manipulation of Minds (Association togolaise pour la lutte contre la manipulation des consciences, ATLMC) provided the following information.

The ATLMC was formed on 7 April 1991 in Sokodé, a town in central Togo. It is a non-political organization whose main objective is to inform the Togolese people and the international community of the political dictatorship in Togo and to bring about political change in the country.

The ATLMC is run by a board of directors made up of 11 people who all live in exile because the ATLMC was outlawed in Togo following a 22 September 2001 meeting in Germany during which the policies of Togolese president Eyadéma were criticized. Consequently, most of the ATLMC members currently live in exile, mainly in Germany, where the association has several branches and where it has over 1,000 members; meanwhile, the few members who stayed in Togo have to work underground. The ATLMC also has offices in Belgium and the United Kingdom. It plans to open others in the United States and Canada soon.

The ATLMC issues a membership identification card. It is dark blue with black print. The first page indicates the full name of the association, along with the abbreviation, followed by the card number and the issue year (e.g. 55/04, where 55 is the card number and 04 indicates that the card was issued in 2004). The second page provides information about the cardholder. In order, it gives the cardholder's surname and given name, place and date of birth, current address and passport photo. Under the photo is the signature of the cardholder, followed by that of the president, and the ATLMC's seal. On the third page is a table indicating the annual membership fees. The fourth page (back) is blank.

According to an article on the Internet site of the Togolese Diaspora for Democracy and Development (DIASTODE), the ATLMC is listed as one of the Togolese political organizations that participated in the 5 March 2004 meeting in Wismar, Germany (DIASTODE 5 Mar. 2004). The minutes published on the same Internet site indicate that the ATLMC is also among the political organizations that, on the 44th anniversary of the independence of Togo, participated in a 27 April 2004 demonstration in Schwerin, Germany, so that, among other things, the German authorities could see how that date was [translation] "scorned by dictator Eyadéma" (DIASTODE 27 Apr. 2004).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Association togolaise pour la lutte contre la manipulation des consciences (ATLMC), Bremen. 25 June 2004. Telephone interview with the national president.

Togolese Diaspora for Democracy and Development (DIASTODE). 27 April 2004. "Procès verbal de la marche de protestation du 27 avril 2004 à Schwerin." http://www.diastode.org/Echos/invit5648.html [Accessed 25 June 2004]

_____. 5 March 2004. "Coordination : protocole de la réunion du 05 mars 2004." http://www.diastode.org/Echos/invit5695.html [Accessed 25 June 2004]

Publications: Resource Centre country file.

Internet sites, including: Africatime, AllAfrica, Amnesty International, Dialog, FIDH, HRW, MISNA, ReliefWeb.