Togo
"UN must act on Togolese human rights abuses"

afrol.com, 29 March - A group of six international human rights organisations today joined forces and called on the UN Commission on Human Rights and the international community to "turn principles into practice" in the case of Togo. One month ago, a joint OAU/UN Commission of Inquiry on Togo verified reports of gross human rights violations in the country. 

- The case of Togo, which has systematically violated international human rights standards, will be a test case for whether the Commission on Human Rights can put effective action before political interests, say the six non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Among the NGOs are Amnesty International (AI) and Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture (OMCT).

As the report of the joint UN/OAU Commission of Inquiry for Togo is about to be discussed at its 57th session, the NGOs say "the UN Commission on Human Rights must ensure a full and prompt implementation of their recommendations to address the culture of impunity and provide justice for the victims of grave human rights violations in Togo."

The report of the Inquiry Commission on Togo charged with "verifying the truth of allegations of hundreds of extrajudicial executions, which allegedly took place in Togo during 1998, made by Amnesty International's report published on 5 May 1999" was released on 22 February 2001. 

The report uncovered evidence of extrajudicial executions carried out by security forces in concert with the police and armed militias. It also reports acts of torture, ill treatment of people in detention as well as rapes of women in the presence of their husbands, perpetrated by armed militias close to the authorities.

The Inquiry Commission further 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. 

The six NGOs today urge the UN Commission on Human Rights to act upon the key recommendation of the Togo Commission: to appoint a Special Rapporteur on Togo. Based on its conclusion that there was "a situation of systematic violations of human rights in Togo", the Togo Commission saw a Special Rapporteur as necessary to allow closer cooperation between the UN Commission on Human Rights and the Togolese authorities to better protect human rights in Togo.

- The Special Rapporteur should be appointed not only to monitor human rights but also to play an important role of preventing new abuses in the run up to elections later this year, Eric Sottas, Director of OMCT, says. In Togo every election campaign in the last decade has been marred by gross human rights violations.

- The international community cannot continue to evade its responsibility under the name of Realpolitik, NGOs say. "The UN Commission on Human Rights would lose credibility if its member states failed to implement the recommendations of a commission that the UN itself decided to establish. To ignore the UN/OAU recommendations will send a signal to states responsible for human rights violations that they can get away with large scale abuses with the complicity of the international community", Eric Sottas, the NGOs spokesperson, said.

The NGOs also call for an urgent mechanism of monitoring and protection of witnesses. Since the Inquiry Commission left Togo in December, at least ten people both in Togo and Benin have been threatened by the Togolese authorities, they claim. Some of them had collaborated with the Commission and had to flee their home fearing for their lives. 

- In light of this information and the repeated attempts at intimidation of witnesses by the Togolese authorities, as experienced by the COI itself during its investigations, the NGOs strongly urges the international community to ensure that the national commission of inquiry announced by the Togolese government on 7 March meets with international standards, including that complainants, witnesses and those conducting the investigation and their families be effectively protected from any form of intimidation, NGOs say. 

Focus on Togolese human rights abuses have increased over the last years. Although violations are known from the time current President General Gnassingbe Eyadema came to power in a military coup in 1967, the 1998 election (which were supposed to mark the beginning of democratisation) turned attention on Togo. Extrajudicial killings were documented by Amnesty International's 1999 report 'Togo: Rule of Terror', which again initiated the UN/OAU investigations. The Togolese government continue to dismiss the charges, but with this independent documentation, human rights groups have been able to the keep pressure up. 

Sources: Based on AI, OMCT, UNHCHR and afrol archives

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