Key facts
- Two French filmmakers and a Togolese fixer are jailed in Togo.
- They are charged with making false declarations in immigration procedures.
- The detentions follow Togo's suspension of French media outlets.
- Togo has strengthened ties with Russia and other West African nations.
- One filmmaker reportedly has serious health issues.
Two French documentary filmmakers, Gaël Mocaër and Sebastian Perez Pezzani, along with their Togolese fixer Fred Vedomey, have been placed in pretrial detention in Togo and charged with making "false declarations" in immigration procedures. The detentions, which occurred after more than three weeks in custody, were reported by the advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (RSF). The filmmakers were reportedly working on a documentary series for French public television when they were arrested on July 27 in northern Togo.
RSF has called for the immediate release of the trio, asserting that the filmmakers had obtained proper work visas and authorization from Togo’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts. However, Culture Minister Isaac Tchiakpé denied this, stating that the individuals would not have been detained if they had followed the required procedures. Togo's media regulator, HARC, also indicated that no accreditation request had been received.
The detentions come at a time of strained relations between the Togolese government and French media, with Togo having previously suspended broadcasts from Radio France Internationale and France 24. Furthermore, Togo has been strengthening its ties with Russia, signing a military cooperation agreement last year, and has also increased relations with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, countries that have reduced their reliance on French forces. RSF also noted that Perez Pezzani is experiencing serious health problems that require urgent medical attention.