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afrol News, 22 October - The Togolese government in a new report claims to be "firmly attached to democracy," contrary to claims by human rights groups. The so-called "political reforms" that had been carried out during the last ten years were "aimed at building a democratic society based on national consensus and the historic and socio-cultural realities of the country." A Togolese government report on civil and political rights in the country today was discussed in the UN Human Rights Committee. The report, which gives a rosy description of human rights and democracy in Togo, was not left uncommented by UN experts, particularly on allegations of ill-treatment, torture, extrajudicial executions and arbitrary detention. Over the course of the discussion, the Togolese delegation replied to many of the queries. The delegation however denied the occurrence of hundreds of alleged cases of extrajudicial executions, which has been documented by Amnesty International and an independent commission of investigators from African governments. Extra-judicial executions - However, the government has investigated some cases of ill-treatment and has suspended the perpetrators from their duties, Mr Kpotsra said. Two members of the gendarmerie had been "recently suspended from their posts because of their ill-treatment of a member of the political opposition." A UN expert commented that the government only had been denying allegations addressed to it by international organisations such as Amnesty. The reports that extrajudicial executions had been carried out at the beaches of Togo had only been rejected by the Togolese authorities. Earlier, the UN Committee had requested further information on these cases of extra-judicial executions. The same expert continued commenting that, for human rights to prevail in Togo, "the rule of law and democracy should be strengthened." The government had congratulated itself by saying that the international community had appreciated its human rights records. "However, the elections of 1993 and 1998 have been associated with violence." The speaker cited cases of human rights violations and the lack of measures to prosecute the perpetrators. Press freedom violations According to the latest annual report of the situation of the press in Togo, made by the media watchdog Reporters sans Frontiers (RSF), "the Togolese authorities and especially the state President are highly sensitive to criticism in the local press." Many journalists had been "victims of repression" in Togo. Arrests of journalists and seizures or destruction of newspapers were "common occurrences." - Unfortunately, the private press immediately engaged in a campaign of spreading false information and insulting and defaming the state authorities, the army and citizens, the Togolese delegation however claimed. "It is against that background of increasing disorder that the judicial authorities, responsible for enunciating the law, are seized with cases of press offences." Neither these claims were left uncommented by the UN expert panel. An expert said that "the repression against the press is too much and the fines too heavy." The flouting of professional ethics alluded to by the delegation did not make much sense as long at there were no established ethics, he commented. The Togolese delegation answered that the government had just put in place a series of laws governing the activities of journalists. The press law amendment to which the delegation referred had made the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), to send a harsh letter of protest to Togo's President Gnassingbé Eyadéma, saying the amendment continued Togo's "slide toward becoming West Africa's worst press freedom abuser." Sources: Based on UNHCHR and afrol archives
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