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afrol.com, 1 March - The Togolese government has indicated clearly that it is not willing to act upon the mounting evidence of gross human rights violations in the country, including exdrajudicial execusions by the government. Human rights groups are now calling for a closer UN monitoring of the human rights situation in Togo. In a report released on 22 February, the International Commission of Inquiry for Togo held that the allegations by Amnesty International that hundreds of people had been victims of extrajudicial executions "must be taken into consideration". The Commission was set up of the United Nations (UN) and the Organization of African Unity (OAU), at the request of the Government of Togo. The Commission of Inquiry concluded that "executions were aimed especially at political activists linked to opposition parties". The Commission based its findings on investigations carried out in Togo and neighbouring countries in November and December of last year. On Tuesday, Togolese officials denied the conclusions of the Commission. The Togolese Prime Minister, Mensah Agbeyome Kodjo, was quoted saying "Togo does not feel obliged to recognise charges," as his government felt the Commission had studied questions "outside its jurisdiction". The Secretary General of Amnesty International, Pierre Sane, on a press conference yesterday in Paris called on the UN to appoint, immediately, a Special Rapporteur on Togo and to create a witness protection program. The human rights body of the UN, the UNHCR, operates with special rapporteurs in several countries where a long history of severe human rights violations are known. In Africa these include Burundi, Congo Kinshasa (DRC), Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, Somalia and Sudan. The rapporteurs monitor the human rights situation of a country and file annual reports to the UN. Also the UN/OAU Commission of Inquiry had recommended the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on Togo, and Mr. Sane yesterday called for a prompt implementation. "This recommendation, formulated for the first time, would constitute a decisive step towards the prevention of renewed human rights violations in Togo," he added. Mr Pierre Sane further expressed concern about the safety and protection of witnesses who testified before the Commission, as the Togolese government has a history of attempting to silence witnesses. In this connection, he called for "a prompt response to the Commission's recommendation that the international community provide financial support to enable the UN Human Rights Commission to set up a mechanism to monitor the safety of witnesses." The Commission's findings show that "a situation of systematic human rights violations existed in Togo" during and after the 1998 elections. Amnesty's 1999 report 'Togo: Rule of Terror', which initiated the UN/OAU investigations, asserted that "hundreds of people were extrajudicially executed [and that] bodies were retrieved from the beaches of Togo and Benin." The Commission findings hold that "The many testimonies collected support the claim that, during 1998, several fishermen saw, while fishing 'out at sea' a large number of floating bodies." Togo has been ruled by President General Gnassingbe Eyadema since 1967, when he came to power in a military coup. Although opposition political parties were legalized following widespread protests in 1991, Eyadema and his Rally of the Togolese People (RPT), strongly backed by the armed forces, have continued to dominate the exercise of political power. According to a US government report, "Eyadema used his entrenched position to repress genuine opposition and to secure another 5-year term in an election held in June 1998, which, like previous multiparty elections, was marred by systematic fraud." The next legislative elections in Togo are set to 14 and 28 October 2001. The government has announced that these elections were to be "a first step in a process of democratisation in Togo." Reports from Lomé however confirm that the systematic oppression of the Togolese opposition are continuing in well known forms. Pro-democracy demonstrations in Lomé last weekend were violently dispered by the police. Commenting on the expected Togolese elections, Amnesty's Mr. Sane said "it is essential that the Special Rapporteur be appointed in time to play a preventive role in the run up to elections in October 2001," pointing to the clear correlation between elections and human rights abuses in Togo. Sources: Based on Amnesty, UNHCHR, US govt. and afrol archives
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