Togo: Togo 'has no political prisoners'

Togo's Justice Minister Foli Bazi-Katare has said there are no political prisoners in the country. "All these prisoners were convicted by the courts as common criminals," he said after talks with the European Union on ending a ban on economic aid. "None of the prisoners had been jailed for expressing divergent political opinions," he said. The EU froze aid to Togo in 2003 over the country's lack of democracy and poor human rights record.