| 13 June 2003
After thirty-six years of authoritarian power, marked by massive
violations of human rights, and during which political assassinations
became frequent, General Eyadema has again been declared winner
of the presidential election held on 1 June last, after a vote
marred by major irregularities. The result, made public by the
Independant National Electoral Commission (CENI), declaring
Gnassingbe Eyadema the winner with 57 % of the votes, was no
surprise.
Yet the transparancy and fairness of the ballot were compromised
during the months preceding election day, as our organizations
revealed on 6 May, 2003. Various manipulations were arranged
at all levels of the electoral process, so as to insure General
Eyadema's victory.
As early as February, 2003, our organizations noted numerous
arrests of members of the opposition. Some, like Marc Palanga
et Mazama Takassa, members of the opposition party UFC, are
still being held arbitrarily and suffer acts of torture. During
the presidential campaign, opposition candidates complained
of increasing obstacles placed on their travelling freely over
the entire national territory and on the organization of political
meetings.
During the campaign, the State media accepted only the RPT
party in power, in violation of the Togo electoral Code, which
provides for free access of all candidates to the public media
and equal time for all.
Refusing to be a party to this electoral farce, the European
Union and the United Nations decided not to delegate observers
to Togo.
One of the consequences of this electoral coup is the tension
visible in Togo since the declaration of the results by the
CENI, on 4 June, 2003, leading to the fear that the violations
of human rights will continue or even increase.
On election day, and after the declaration of the results by
the CENI, violent clashes occurred between security forces and
civilian populations in Lome and in Tsevie, Gbatope and Djagble.
The army used truncheons, tear gas and real bullets. Three people
were killed and many severly injured are in hospital. Several
of those manifesting were arrested. They will be held in police
stations, where they are systematically molested and tortured.
Two leaders of the UFC, Patrick Lawson and Jean Pierre Fabre,
were also arrested twice, between May and June, then released.
All independant journalists who mentioned the election irregularities
have been warned. Others have been intimidated because they
published statistics, released by the opposition, suggesting
that General Eyadema would lose. Even foreign media (RFI, for
instance) were refused the right to cover the event. Defenders
of human rights and members of civil society who wished to supervize
the election received threats and other intimidations.
According to our information, members of the armed forces suspected
of having voted for the opposition were arrested the day after
the election. We are particularly disturbed by persistent echos
of kidnappings and disappearances of military personnel in various
camps. We fear the authorities may conduct a purge, as in 1993
and 1998.
In addition, heavily armed soldiers circulate in the country
and commit exactions on the population. Some sources also indicate
the presence of foreign mercenaries, swelling the ranks of the
governmant forces.
Large population displacements have been noted in the country
and near the borders. Several hundred people have alreay fled
Togo for Ghana, Benin and Burkina Faso.
We condemn the violation by the Togo authorities of article
25 of the international Pact on civil and political rights,
guaranteeing free and pluralist elections.
In this context, we are surprised that the President of the
French Republic should have been the first to send a telegram
of congratulations to General Eyadema, without even waiting
for the official declaration of the results by the Togo Constitutionnal
Court.
We strongly condemn all forms of recourse to violence, arrests
and arbitrary detention, torture, menace and intimidation exercised
by the Togo authorities for the purpose of muzzling freedom
of expression, opinion and manifestation. We call for the authorities
to follow the international dispositions relative to the protection
of human rights, and particularly those of the Convention against
Torture and of the international Pact on civil and political
rights, ratified by Togo.
We demand that the Togo authorities free immediately all prisoners
held because of their opinions, especially Marc Palanga, Mazama
Takassa, Kabassima Togbare and Agate.
Our associations send a final call to the international community,
particularly to France, the principal partener of Togo, for
them to assume their responsability in seeking a peaceful solution
to the crisis the country is experiencing. Strong diplomatic
and political pressure must be brought on General Eyadema, so
that he will follow democratic norms, restore a State of Law
and respect for human rights in general.
Signing NGOs :
- ACAT-France (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture):
actions@acat.asso.fr
- Agir ensemble pour les droits de l'Homme: agir-ensemble@aedh.org
- International Federation of ACAT (FIACAT): fiacat@fiacat.org
- International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH): fidh@fidh.org
- Franciscans International: geneve@fiop.org
- World organisation against torture (OMCT) : omct@omct.org
- Secours-Catholique / Caritas France: dept-afrique@secours-catholique.asso.fr
- Survie: sc.survie@wanadoo.fr
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