According to media reports from Togo, the journalists are being prosecuted for incitement to violence and defamation ‘attack on the honour of the Minister for Urban Planning, Housing and Land Reform, Kodjo Adedze’ in relation to an article that was published on social media networks. The article alleged that 400 million CFA francs (an equivalent of about 600 000 Euros) was stolen from Minister Kodjo Adedze’s home.
Reports further stated that, though the Minister has indeed reported ‘the burglary to the police’ the amount stolen was never disclosed. The journalists have also retracted their claim stating that extensive investigations had revealed that the amount mentioned in their report was overestimated and the real amount stolen would not reach 400 Million CFA Francs.
The journalists appeared in court in Lomé on Tuesday, 14 November and were charged with defamation of the honour of the Minister. Anani Innocent Assous was also charged with incitement of violence. The journalists were then transferred to the civil prison in Lomé on Wednesday 15 November, where they are still held in custody.
IFJ affiliate L’Union des Journalistes Indépendant du Togo (UJIT) said in a press statement that freedom of the press and of opinion remain defining elements of the rule of law and democracy. For this reason it is important for Togo to work to protect freedom of the press and freedom of movement for media professionals.
The General Secretary of the IFJ, Anthony Bellanger said: “The arrest, charges and detention of journalists Lawson and Assous are an attempt to intimidate journalists in Togo and force them into self-censorship. Their reporting was clearly in the public interest, and the sanctions imposed upon them wholly disproportionate. They should be released immediately."
The IFJ joins its affiliate UJIT in calling the authorities in Togo to drop all charges against the journalists and to release them immediately and unconditionally in the interest of democracy, good governance and the rule of law.