togo: Three journalists arrested and detained
Dimas Dzikodo and Philip Evégnon, editor-in-chief and editor, respectively, of the private weekly "L'Evénement", as well as Colombo Kpakpabia, a journalist with the private weekly "Nouvel Echo", were arrested by police officers on 14 and 15 June 2003. They have since been detained and questioned at national police headquarters in the capital, Lome. The journalists have been accused of "distributing false news" with the intent of damaging the country's reputation.
IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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ALERT - TOGO
17 June 2003
Three journalists arrested and detained
SOURCE: Reporters sans frontières (RSF), Paris
(RSF/IFEX) - Dimas Dzikodo and Philip Evégnon, editor-in-chief and editor,
respectively, of the private weekly "L'Evénement", as well as Colombo
Kpakpabia, a journalist with the private weekly "Nouvel Echo", were arrested
by police officers on 14 and 15 June 2003. They have since been detained and
questioned at national police headquarters in the capital, Lome. The
journalists have been accused of "distributing false news" with the intent
of damaging the country's reputation.
RSF condemns the three journalists' prolonged detention. The organisation
notes that they have not been officially charged and demands their immediate
release. RSF recalls that both "L'Evénement" and "Le Nouvel Echo" are close
to the opposition. "The Togolese authorities aren't fooling anyone. These
arrests clearly demonstrate their desire to continue repressing the
country's independent media, which is the only outlet for the expression of
dissenting opinions in the country," RSF Secretary-General Robert Ménard
said. RSF also recalls that President Gnassingbé Eyadéma is included on the
organisation's list of international press freedom predators.
Dzikodo was arrested on 14 June at around 7:00 p.m. (local time) at a
cybercafe, where he was scanning photographs of persons who were allegedly
beaten up by police officers and militiamen of the ruling party,
Rassemblement du Peuple Togolais (RPT), during the last presidential
election. The journalist had planned to post the photographs on the website
of the opposition party Union des forces du changement. Police officers
questioned him at length and also searched his home. The next day, police
arrested Evégnon on the pretext that he had asked Dzikodo to carry out this
work. Kpakpabia was also arrested at a cybercafe while sending similar
images over the Internet to le togolais.com, a news website launched by
Togolese expatriates residing in Canada.
For further information, contact Jean-François Julliard at RSF, rue Geoffroy
Marie, Paris 75009, France, tel: +33 1 44 83 84 84, fax: +33 1 45 23 11 51,
e-mail: [email protected], Internet: http://www.rsf.org
The information contained in this alert is the sole responsibility of RSF.
In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit RSF.
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