Togo Government softens press laws as it discusses resumption of EU aid

The Togolese parliament has softened the West African country's harsh press laws which previously imposed jail terms of up to five years on journalists found guilty of insulting the government of President Gnassingbe Eyadema, Africa's longest serving head of state. The amendments, which were passed unanimously by legislators on Tuesday night, abolish prison sentences for journalists who defame the government. Instead, they impose fines ranging from US$4,000 to US$10,000 on those found guilty of insulting or spreading false information about the head of state, the speaker of the national assembly, the president of the senate, the prime minister, parliamentary deputies, senators, members of the government and other public institutions. The previous penalty was a jail term of one to five years, with no option of a fine. Four legal provisions allowing the Interior Minister to seize and close newspapers have been scrapped as part of the reform, which was passed as the government discussed with the European Union the lifting of an 11-year ban on EU aid to Togo. The ban was imposed in 1993 in protest at the lack of democracy and poor governance in the former French colony, which has been ruled by Eyadema for the past 37 years. The reform of the press laws received a cautious welcome from the Paris-based press freedom watchdog Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF). “This new version is much more liberal and more respectful of press freedom than the previous one, considered as one of the most repressive in Africa,” it said in a statement. “Even though the Togolese authorities only took the initiative under pressure from the European Union, we welcome the amendment of the press code, which carries hope for all the journalists in the country”, it added. “We remain vigilant and will wait to see how the text will be implemented," RSF said, noting that "jail sentences can still be imposed on journalists convicted of incitement to theft, crime, racial hatred or diverting the forces of order from their duties towards their homeland." Last April, Prime Minister Koffi Sama led a government delegation to Brussels that made 22 commitments towards installing greater democracy in Togo. These included pledges to liberalise the country's press laws and free political prisoners. Earlier this month, the government released 500 common law prisoners who had served at least half their sentence or who were deemed to have been kept in custody without trial for too long. The Togolese authorities also handed a passport back to exiled opposition leader Gilchrist Olympio, who was banned from standing against Eyadema in last year's presidential election.