Commission to investigate illegal killings

Togo’s government announced on Wednesday the establishment of a four-man commission of inquiry to investigate allegations of extrajudicial executions during the 1998 presidential election campaign, The Republic of Togo web site reported. The body will verify the charges made by Amnesty International that hundreds of people, mostly soldiers, were killed and dumped into the sea. The corpses were washed ashore in Togo and Benin, prompting local and international outcry. The Commission’s members include Constitutional Court Judge Aboudou Assouma, president of the Administrative Chamber of the Supreme Court, Tete Tekoe, and the president of the Lome Court of Appeal, Yaya Abdoulaye. The president of the Supreme Court, Fessou Lawson, chairs the new body. “Steps have now to be taken for the inquiry to be credible and effective,” Amnesty International said on Thursday. It called on the government to ensure that the investigation is conducted strictly in accordance with two UN documents concerning the effective presentation and investigation of extralegal, arbitrary and summary executions. In addition, Amnesty said complainants, witnesses (including those who have fled the country), those conducting the investigation and their families “must be effectively protected” from intimidation. An international commission of inquiry made up of three officials from the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and the UN met with President Gnassingbe Eyadema on the matter in November 2000. The team had received written guarantees from the government that no action would be taken against anyone testifying before the UN/OAU body. However, witnesses were harassed. “As the joint OAU/UN Commission of Inquiry itself experienced, the Togolese authorities have resorted repeatedly to attempts at intimidating key witnesses to give false testimonies or to refrain from testifying,” Amnesty said.