Togo’s High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) has announced the lifting of its suspension of accreditation for foreign news organizations, as reported by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Friday. This decision comes two months after the initial suspension, which RSF condemned as “a flagrant violation of press freedom.”
French journalist Thomas Dietrich had entered Togo to cover political unrest triggered by a constitutional revision. RSF stated that although Dietrich had prior permission to enter Togo, he was denied accreditation by the HAAC on April 15 because he “should have applied for it at the same time as his visa.” After being denied accreditation, Dietrich reported to RSF that “hooded men grabbed him, bundled him into a van, blindfolded him, and took him to plainclothes police headquarters, where he was questioned at length and beaten.” Dietrich was subsequently tried and convicted for illegally entering Togo and banned from the country.
The constitutional reform in question transformed Togo’s government from a presidential to a parliamentary system. Critics argue that the reform is a guise for extending President Faure Gnassingbe’s and his family’s political dominance. Gnassingbe has been Togo’s President for nineteen years, succeeding his father, the former President Gnassingbé Eyadema.
Alfred Bulakali, the Regional Director of ARTICLE 19 Senegal and West Africa, condemned the banning of Thomas Dietrich, stating, “[for] upcoming elections, it is imperative that journalists are allowed to report without fear of persecution or expulsion, ensuring transparency and accountability in the democratic process.”
According to Voice of America (VOA), the HAAC has declared that the suspension of foreign press accreditations will officially end on June 26.
