The following quotation from Country Reports 1994 describes the December 1994 general amnesty under which political detainees have been released:

The amnesty applies specifically to the armed dissidents allegedly involved in the attacks on Lome of March 25, 1993, and January 5, 1994, as well as to other persons inside or outside Togo who allegedly committed political crimes through December 14. It covers opponents of the Government and members of the security forces who may have committed offenses (1995, 270).

This source further states that at least 27 political detainees and political prisoners had been released by the end of the year (ibid.). Europa 1995 briefly acknowledges that detainees were released "later in December [1994]" but does not provide any specifics on the numbers of those freed (1995, 2997).

Please consult the following attachments for information on the release of political detainees under the general amnesty of December 1994: Radio Togo of 6 January 1995; La Lettre of 9 February 1995; Africa Research Bulletin of 1-31 December 1994 and Jeune Afrique of 5-11 January 1995.

Amnesty International Report 1995, available at Regional Documentation Centres, provides further information on prisoners released under the December general amnesty.

Please consult Response to Information Request TGO22996.E of 14 February 1996 for information on the December 1994 general amnesty.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

References

The Europa World Year Book 1995. 1995. 36th ed. Vol. 2. London: Europa Publications.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1994. 1995. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.

Attachments

Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series [Oxford]. 1-31 December 1994. Vol. 31, No. 12. "Togo: Amnesty Comes Into Operation," p. 11697.

Jeune Afrique [Paris]. 5-11 January 1995. No. 1774. "Togo: Amnistié sous pression...," p. 68.

La Lettre de la Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme [Paris]. 9 February 1995. No. 574. "Togo: Des libérations interviennent à la suite de la mission FIDH," p. 9.

Radio Togo [Lomé, in English]. 6 January 1995. "Seven Released Under Amnesty." (BBC Summary 9 Jan. 1995/NEXIS)