Togo has challenged Amnesty International to provide proof at the summit of Francophone nations, which began on Friday in Moncton, Canada, of its charge that scores of people were killed last year at the behest of the Togolese government, AFP reported.
"The Togolese government challenges Amnesty International to bring to public awareness on the occasion of the Moncton summit the slightest proof to back its accusations against Togo," AFP quotes the government as saying in a statement on Thursday.
On Wednesday, Amnesty had urged member states of La Francophonie - which defines itself as the group of nations that share the French language - to "reiterate their commitment to the protection of human rights in Togo and to ensure that perpetrators of human rights abuses are brought to justice".
In a May report, Amnesty accused Togo's security forces and paramilitary police of killing many people and throwing their bodies into the sea in mid-1998.
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