In Togo, the erosion of informational freedom is no longer confined to the pages of NGO reports or regulatory communiqués. It has become a lived reality on street corners, directly on the pavement, where the simple act of distributing a newspaper now carries significant risk. By extending pressure to street vendors, Faure Gnassingbé’s administration appears to be crossing a concerning threshold: that of systematically and operationally silencing free expression.
The vendetta against vendors
For many years, control over the Togolese press relied on conventional institutional levers, including official summonses, temporary publication suspensions, withdrawal of press credentials, and threats of defamation lawsuits. While these tactics gradually pushed numerous newsrooms towards self-censorship, they failed to extinguish the public’s growing demand for critical information.
The recent detentions of independent newspaper distributors and vendors in Lomé therefore mark a significant shift in methodology. By targeting the most vulnerable link in the information chain—individuals who earn their livelihood selling individual copies—authorities are no longer merely seeking to punish content. Instead, their aim is to sever the direct connection between a newspaper and its readership.
This attack on distribution channels reflects a strategy rooted in economic and security repression. The objective is clear: to instill fear among resellers so they refuse to display opposition or investigative titles, thereby creating an invisible yet devastating commercial blockade for press outlets already struggling financially.
HARC: professional regulation or an instrument of censorship?
At the core of Faure’s apparatus, the High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HARC) faces increasingly sharp criticism from trade unions and the Togolese Press Employers’ Association (PPT). Tasked with safeguarding freedom of expression and ensuring a balanced media landscape from print to digital, the institution is now widely perceived by professionals as a tool for editorial alignment.
Under the guise of ‘public health,’ ‘sector sanitation,’ or combating disinformation, sanctions disproportionately target media outlets that scrutinize governance, financial affairs, or political management. Meanwhile, the press aligned with the official narrative consistently enjoys leniency. This policy of double standards has ultimately drained public debate of its substance, transforming the official media landscape into a distorted reflection of Togolese reality.
Togolese democracy crumbles on the ground
At a time when official discourse extols institutional modernization and the nation’s economic appeal, the now overt repression against media actors underscores the reality of a constantly shrinking democratic space. Press freedom is not a privilege granted to journalists but a fundamental right for all citizens.
By stifling the few remaining spaces for dissent and pursuing those who distribute written information, the Togolese government is choosing an artificial calm. However, by suffocating independent information, it does not eliminate social and political tensions; it merely deprives society of legitimate channels to express them.
