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Opposition party defies protest ban

    ABIDJAN

    Celebrations by the opposition Union des forces de changement (UFC), a party led by the exiled politician, Gilchrist Olympio, went ahead in the Togolese capital on Tuesday without incident despite a government ban, news organisations reported.

    Togolese Interior Minister General Seyi Memene had banned the ceremony which was called to mark the 39th independence anniversary. AFP said more than 1,000 UFC supporters had turned out for a church service and to hear a message broadcast by Olympio from exile in neighbouring Ghana.

    The UFC which has been demanding a re-run of the June 1998 elections, said it had wanted to test the right to freedom of assembly.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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