On the one hand, the Togolese authorities have recently acknowledged in recent days that there are no Covid-19 patients in treatment centers. So we can see that the situation is improving significantly. And on the other hand, some bans have been lifted and some measures have been eased. This is the case with the reopening of places of worship, the resumption of sports activities. So today, this ban on gatherings of a social or political nature is no longer justified. What is also pointed out is the fact that there is no time limit that has been set for this assembly ban. This obviously raises the question of the boundary between health protection and a conscious desire to hinder freedom of expression. And in a country like Togo, we have been in the context, for more than a year, of a ban on gatherings, but also of the repression of press freedom with journalists and human rights activists who have been arrested to avoid disputes.
Fabien Offner, West African researcher for Amnesty International
