The State of the World's Human Rights; Togo 2025

Freedom of expression was severely restricted, with media outlets suspended, the internet disrupted and arbitrary detention used against government critics. Peaceful protests were regularly banned, and there were reports of torture and security forces using excessive force against protesters. The president enacted a law to address climate change.

Background

Following the adoption of the April 2024 constitution, power was concentrated in the hands of the President of the Council of Ministers – the leader of the majority party – a post assumed in May by former president Faure Gnassingbé, who had held power since 2005.

The spillover of the Central Sahel conflict caused an influx of refugees into northern Togo and the internal displacement of thousands of Togolese. Between January and August, around 60 people were killed in attacks by armed groups in the northern Savanes region where, in March, the state of security emergency was extended by one year.

Freedom of expression

On 6 June, the gendarmerie arrested a TV5 Monde correspondent while she covered a protest and forced her to delete her camera footage.

Media outlets Radio France Internationale and France 24 remained suspended at the end of the year after being issued with a three-month suspension by the High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) on 16 June. The HAAC claimed that the outlets had used words that were “inaccurate, biased, or even contrary to established facts”.

Between the end of June and September, internet access was disrupted. Social media platforms were particularly targeted.

Arbitrary arrests and detentions

On 12 January, artist Honoré Sokpor was arrested after publishing a poem on Facebook denouncing the government’s arbitrary and oppressive tactics. He was charged with inciting rebellion against the state, among other charges. In December, he was released on bail.

On 26 May, the singer and activist known as Aamron used social media to call on people to mobilize against the government. He was arrested the following night at his home in the capital, Lomé, without prior summons or an arrest warrant. Released on 21 June, he said he was forcibly admitted to a psychiatric hospital and made to take medication. On 19 September, Aamron was re-arrested and held in police custody for inciting the population to revolt, among other charges. He was released under judicial supervision hours later.

On 22 August, Armand Agblézé and Oséi Agbagno, members of civil society organization Tournons La Page (“Let’s Turn the Page”), a movement promoting democratic change and good governance, were arrested in Lomé. They had been participating in a meeting connected to protests planned for 30 August. They were detained on several charges including “serious disruption to public order” and released on bail in December.

On 17 September, former defence minister Marguerite Gnakadé was arrested for publishing articles and videos denouncing poor governance and calling for Faure Gnassingbé’s resignation. She remained in detention on charges including inciting revolt against state authority and publishing false news.

Freedom of peaceful assembly

In June, protests against the crackdown on peaceful dissent, the cost-of-living crisis and changes to the Constitution increased.¹ The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders said at least 81 protesters were arrested on 5 and 6 June. According to the public prosecutor, 56 of them were released on 9 June. The others were released on bail on 31 December under clemency measures.

The violent repression of protests in Lomé escalated between 26 and 30 June. Victims and other witnesses said that security forces used unlawful force and ill-treatment against protesters, bystanders and others living in the vicinity of the protests.² In a statement shared on 29 June, Togolese civil society organizations reported the deaths of seven people whose bodies were found in rivers in Lomé, and the “beatings” and “arbitrary arrests of passers-by, youth, and older people”. They also reported cases of security forces chasing young people, including children, forcing them “to take refuge in the lagoon”. No public information was made available concerning the progress of an investigation announced by the public prosecutor in July into the deaths of five people whose bodies were found in rivers.

On 30 August, the authorities banned a protest against poor governance and restrictions on human rights organized by the June 6 Movement (M66), a collective of diaspora artists and bloggers. The same day, security forces surrounded the homes of several prominent figures who had supported M66’s call to demonstrate.

Torture and other ill-treatment

Fourteen of those arrested at protests on 5 and 6 June said they were tortured and otherwise ill-treated during detention, claims which were supported by medical certificates. Complaints filed by victims with the military court had not been investigated by the end of the year.

Right to a healthy environment

In April, the President enacted a law to better regulate the effects of human-induced climate change, including mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

1. “Togo: Authorities must investigate allegations protesters were tortured and end crackdown on dissent”, 17 June ↩︎
2. “Togo: Testimonies provide glimpse into violent repression of protests”, 3 July ↩︎