Vingt organisations de la société civile, nationales et internationales, ont lancé un appel urgent à la libération immédiate et inconditionnelle de 48 jeunes activistes togolais toujours détenus à la suite des manifestations de juin 2025. Selon ces organisations, au moins 133 personnes auraient été arrêtées arbitrairement pour avoir participé à des rassemblements pacifiques ou exprimé des opinions critiques à l’égard du pouvoir.
Ces arrestations s’inscrivent dans un contexte de rétrécissement de l’espace civique, depuis la mise en place de la Ve République le 3 mai 2025. Cette réforme a modifié la structure institutionnelle du pays, conférant à Faure Gnassingbé la présidence du Conseil des ministres, un poste sans limite de mandats ni pouvoirs clairement définis.
Les manifestations des 5, 6, 26, 27 et 28 juin 2025, majoritairement menées par des jeunes, ont été violemment réprimées. Le Groupe d’intervention judiciaire Afrique de l’OMCT (Organisation mondiale contre la torture) rapporte au moins cinq exécutions extrajudiciaires, 21 cas de torture et plus d’une centaine d’arrestations arbitraires. Dix-huit manifestants ont été condamnés à un an de prison, dont onze mois avec sursis.
Parmi les cas les plus marquants figure celui de l’artiste et cyberactiviste “Aamron”, arrêté le 28 mai 2025 après avoir publié des messages critiques du gouvernement. Sa détention incommunicado et les actes de torture présumés dont il aurait été victime ont déclenché une vague de solidarité au sein de la jeunesse togolaise.
Depuis ces événements, les autorités ont renforcé les restrictions sur les libertés numériques et d’expression :
- coupures ciblées d’Internet,
- criminalisation des activités en ligne,
- interdiction de manifestations publiques,
- arrestations d’activistes, parfois après infiltration de leurs comptes WhatsApp.
Les organisations signataires dénoncent également des cas de torture, mauvais traitements, violences sexuelles et le refus d’accès à un avocat ou à des soins médicaux. Certaines arrestations auraient eu lieu sans mandat, ni notification des motifs.
Malgré les alertes répétées de la société civile et des procédures spéciales des Nations Unies, aucune enquête indépendante n’a encore été ouverte pour faire la lumière sur ces violations.
Les signataires rappellent que ces pratiques violent les engagements internationaux du Togo, notamment la Charte africaine des droits de l’Homme et des peuples et le Pacte international relatif aux droits civils et politiques.
Elles exhortent les autorités togolaises à libérer sans délai les détenus, à mettre fin aux arrestations arbitraires et à garantir le respect des libertés fondamentales, qu’elles jugent indispensables à “la paix, la justice et la démocratie.”
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