On October 3, 2025, Togolese midwife and activist Grace Koumayi Bikoyi was arrested at her home by unidentified, plainclothes agents and is held in custody at the Central Service for Criminal Research and Investigations (SCRIC) unit of the National Police Force.
According to witnesses, the arrest occurred shortly after her return from a meeting at the headquarters of the Collective of Associations Against Impunity in Togo (CACIT). She was taken away in front of her children and brought to the SCRIC, where she was held in custody for three days.
Grace appeared before an examining magistrate on October 6, and was charged with “incitement to revolt” and “attempting to undermine state security” before being remanded in custody.
Known for her outspoken criticism of the authorities, Grace is very active on social media, where she regularly denounces poor living conditions in several regions of the country, bad governance, and restrictions on public freedoms. Her widely shared videos highlight the social and economic realities in Togo.
Following the earlier targeted arrests of three students, a paralegal, two activists, former minister Essissomna Marguerite Gnakadé, and artiste Aamron, her detention raises the total number of individuals imprisoned for expressing their opinions since June to nine, underscoring the ongoing decline of freedom of expression and civic space in the country.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) strongly condemns the arrest of activist Grace Koumayi Bikoyi, which adds to an apparently endless wave of arrests following the June 2025 protests. We call for her immediate release and urge the authorities to end the relentless crackdown on critical voices in Togo.
