Two French journalists, Gaël Mocaër and Sebastian Perez Pezzani, who work for the press agency Tony Comiti Productions, and their Togolese guide, Fred Vedomey, were arrested by the Kara Police on July 27, 2026 in the northern region of Togo.
The police arrested the three individuals while they were filming at a public market for the TV show Les Routes de l’impossible, broadcast on Frace 5, a channel of the France Télévisions group.
They were reportedly arrested after entering an area classified restricted because of terrorist activity in the region. The police questioned them on suspicion of espionage and examined the footage they had taken at the site. After reviewing their footage, the authorities found no evidence to substantiate the espionage allegations and released the three, but they were re-arrested shortly after.
The three were then confined to a hotel for nearly eight days. Their professional equipment and passports were seized before being transferred to Lomé, the capital, on August 4, 2026, where they were detained at the Agoè-Logopé police camp.
On August 17, they appeared before the Lomé Public Prosecutor’s Office and were charged with making “false statements”. According to the authorities, the journalists had not completed all required visa formalities and did not receive the required authorisation to work in Togo.
Vedomey is also under investigation on the same charge, over a discrepancy between the profession listed on his passport and the one stated in his application for the team’s filming permit, which he denies.
However, Tony Comiti Productions has claimed that the journalists had obtained a work visa and accreditation from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts. The High Authority for the Regulation of Written, Audiovisual, and Digital Communication (HARC), for its part, outlined the applicable rules in a statement issued on August 19, 2026.
“The HARC wishes to clarify that it has received no accreditation request concerning the two journalists, either from France Télévisions or from the individuals themselves, as required by law […] Under Article 20 of the Press and Communication Code, in addition to holding a professional press card, foreign media correspondents and special correspondents are required to apply for and obtain accreditation from the HARC. The HARC then forwards a copy to the ministries responsible for Communication and Security.”
On August 20, 2026, after appearing before the Lome Court of First Instance, Sebastian Perez Pezzani was placed under house arrest, for medical reasons while Gaël Mocaër, and Fred Vedomey remain in custody.
According to the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, the two journalists had been visited three times by French officials on duty in Togo. Their detention seems to have escalated to the level of state involvement.
“At this stage, the matter has taken on an inter-state dimension. We believe that diplomatic channels would be the best way to find solutions that respect Togo’s sovereignty while guaranteeing freedom of the press,” Elikplim Goka-Adokanu, President of the Union of Independent Journalists of Togo, told the MFWA.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) condemns the prolonged detention of Gaël Mocaër, Sebastian Perez Pezzani and Fred Vedomey. If administrative irregularities were indeed identified, they should be addressed through appropriate and proportionate procedures, in accordance with Togolese law and the principles of press freedom.
