Amnesty International

Amnesty International has demanded an independent investigation into allegations of killings, torture, and abductions by Togo’s security forces. These grave accusations stem from a violent crackdown on anti-government protests last month. Togo, under the 58-year rule of Faure Gnassingbé and his late father, has recently seen rare protests erupt in the capital, Lomé. Demonstrators are voicing grievances over electricity price hikes, the arrests of government critics, and a controversial constitutional reform solidifying Gnassingbé’s power. Civil society groups report at least seven people killed, dozens wounded, and over 60 arrested during the unrest. Amnesty International interviewed victims and witnesses who detailed abuses by security forces at banned protests in late June. Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty’s interim director for West and Central Africa, stated that “men identified as security forces carried out unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests and detentions, acts of torture and other ill-treatment, and several cases of abduction.” He emphasized the urgent need for transparent investigations into these incidents. Amnesty also reports at least six people are still missing following the protests. The organization condemned the alleged torture of protesters from earlier demonstrations in June against Gnassingbé, who assumed power in 2005. Authorities, however, claimed two bodies found in a lagoon were drowning victims. A lawyer for the victims, Darius Atsoo, noted the total number of detainees remains unknown, though at least 31 were still in custody as of Monday.