Togolese seek justice

More than 100 Togolese have begun lodging complaints with the judiciary so it will investigate violence surrounding presidential elections two years ago that left hundreds dead and triggered the exodus of some 40,000 people to neighbouring Ghana and Benin.

The plaintiffs have united through a collective of Togolese anti-impunity organisations and are seeking redress from security forces, militia members and others, according to the London-based human rights group Amnesty International.

The next step would be for the judiciary to open an inquiry, ask for witnesses and bring perpetrators to trial, although the fairness of the process would likely be scrutinised by rights groups who say executive influence over the country’s judicial system has been pervasive.

“We can say that in the past impunity was almost total in Togo,” Salvatore Sagues, a West Africa researcher with Amnesty, told IRIN on Friday. “To our knowledge nearly none of the past perpetrators was brought to justice. It is a golden opportunity for the government to show it is willing to change and fight impunity. If impunity is put to an end this will show the security forces they will not be able to violate human rights in the future as they did in the past.”

Sagues said this was particularly important as Togo heads to legislative elections scheduled for June.

“These victims have no desire for vengeance but want to know the people who stole from them or killed their parents and they want to obtain justice so that these things don’t happen again,” Sagues said.

Amnesty released a report on Thursday compiled from the testimony of dozens of people from varying political backgrounds that Amnesty met last July. The report was to have been made public at a press conference in Lome on 26 November, but three days before its publication the Togolese government asked Amnesty for “an appropriate period of time” to comment. Amnesty delayed release of the report until Thursday.

The government, in its response, promised to put an end to impunity.

“Now we are asking them to go beyond promises and to act and to give independence to the judiciary to investigate freely and quickly,” Sagues said.

Togo’s minister of communication, Gahoun Hegbor, said that an accord reached among Togo’s political parties last year provided for the creation of a commission to shed light on past political violence.

“Maybe things don’t go as quickly as Amnesty would like but the government is not resting inactive,” he said.

Amnesty said while it noted the response from Togolese authorities the rights group was “disappointed that they have made no firm commitment” to bringing the suspected perpetrators of the 2005 violence to justice.

Unrest erupted in Togo after the sudden death of long-time ruler Gnassingbe Eyadema early in 2005. His son, Faure Gnassingbe, stepped into his shoes and elections were hastily organised for a few months later. The political opposition and their supporters disputed Gnassingbe’s victory and clashed with security forces, leaving hundreds dead, Amnesty said.

Efforts at ending impunity in West Africa have been gaining momentum in recent years. Sierra Leoneans are seeking justice through the United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone for atrocities committed during the nation’s civil war. Liberia’s former president, Charles Taylor, is facing trial on charges of war crimes in connection with that conflict. His son, Chuckie, faces war crimes charges as well for abuses allegedly committed in Liberia.

Civil society in Burkina Faso continues to galvanise around the case of slain journalist Norbert Zongo, whose death in 1998 led to measures that were to help end impunity. But Burkinabe say little has changed and are demanding greater action. Chadians are pursing their case against former ruler Hissene Habre, who is supposed to stand trial in Senegal on torture charges.

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