The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and its national partner in Togo, Institut des Médias pour la Démocratie et les Droits de l’Homme (IM2DH) have jointly petitioned the Director General of the Togolese Gendarmerie over the assault of a journalist by a group of gendarmes.
The victim, Robert Kossi Avotor of the L’Alternative bi-weekly newspaper, had gone to report on an eviction exercise at Akatoviépé, a suburb of Lomé on February 7, 2017 when he was brutalized.
Following the incident, the MFWA and IM2DH on February 16, 2017 sent a joint petition to the head of the Gendarmerie in Togo calling for an investigation into the matter and subsequent sanctions against the culprits.
“We condemn this kind of violence, which is an attack on freedom of expression and on the journalist’s right to freely exercise his profession. We call on the authorities of the national gendarmerie to carry out a thorough inquiry into the matter and ensure that the perpetrators of these acts of abuse get punished in accordance with the applicable laws in Togo,” the petition said.
The petition also urged the Ministry of Defense and the Director General of the national gendarmerie to protect and guarantee the security of Avotor.