(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. […]
(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 a foreign-based news website.
