President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé of Togo filed another suit against Lomé-based privately-owned La lantern newspaper over an August 12, 2010 publication that he claimed were false and insulting to his reputation.

This brought to five, the number of legal suits that President Gnassingbé had initiated against three newspapers in August. He had earlier brought four other suits against L’Indépendant Express and Liberté newspapers.

La lantern had in its Issue No. 90 accused President Gnassingbé of mismanaging the affairs of the country.

The article in question had the headline: “Faure Gnassingbé’s inability to govern (is being) confirmed day in, day out.”

The newspaper also said in the same article that :“Togo’s situation was going from bad to worse …( and that) the first term of the head of state first was a total failure,” due to the luxurious lifestyles of President Gnassingbé and his friends and massive violations of human rights.

The Lomé Magistrate court fixed September 8 as the day it would commence hearing of this suit.

The Lomé Magistrate Court indefinitely banned Tribune d’Afrique, a privately-owned bi-monthly newspaper, for defaming Mey Gnassingbé, a brother of Togolese President, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé.

The Tribune d’Afrique is published in Benin and circulated in both Benin and Togo

The newspaper was ordered to pay one million FCFA (about US$ 2,000) as damages and another one million FCFA (about US$ 2,000) for publishing of “false news”.

The local distributor of Tribune d’Afrique was also fined one million FCFA (about.US$ 2,000).

The newspaper was ordered to immediately publish the judgment in three newspapers with large circulation or risk paying 100, 000 FCFA (about US$200) on each day it would default in carrying out the order.

The court also ordered the withdrawal and destruction of Tribune d’Afrique with the offending articles being sold on the market.

These outrageous decisions followed a suit brought against the Tribune d’Afrique newspaper by Mey Gnassingbé on July 14 following news articles that the newspaper published linking Mey Gnassingbé to drug trafficking.

One of the articles published on the front-page on May 2, was headlined: “Drug trafficking at the highest echelon of the State: Mey Gnassingbé linked to network in Togo”.

According to the writ, the case of the newspaper was worsened by the fact that the Tribune d’Afrique displayed the photographs of Mey Gnassingbe and tagged him as “an insolent middle-class”.

The newspaper has since appealed against the judgement.

In another development, Komi Agbédivlo, popularly known as Didier Ledoux, a reporter of privately-owned Liberté daily newspaper covering the defamation trial involving President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, was arrested and assaulted by security officers providing security at the court for photographing the court building.

Meanwhile, the defamation brought by President Gnassingbé against L’Indépendant Express was also adjourned to August 29, following a request by the defence counsel for the court to do so.

The Lomé Magistrate Court would hear a suit brought by President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé against privately-owned weekly L’Indépendant Express, over articles that the newspaper published which the President deemed insulting and defamatory.

The writ which accused the newspaper of publishing and disseminating false information was handed to the managing editor, Carlos Komlanvi Ketohou, on August 18.

President Gnassingbé demanded 100 million FCFA (about US$200,000) as damages over “enormous harm” to his reputation. The writ said this offence was punishable by Articles 82 and 92 of the Press and Communication Code and Article 58 of Togo’s Criminal Code.

L’Indépendant Express had in two Issues of June 22, accused President Gnassingbé of fighting over a Beauty Queen, a former Miss Togo, with a Togolese soccer star, Emmanuel Shéyi Adébayor, which had resulted in the star quitting the national team. Issue No. 128 was headlined: “Secret Dossier: the hidden side of a pitched squabble: Faure and Shéyi Adébayor clash over a woman.”

MFWA viewed this as a complete departure from the past. Although the President was demanding huge damages that could cripple the newspaper, journalists are now free to state their cases in court. During the late Gnassingbé Eyadema’s regime, journalists were hounded, jailed, or disappeared for reporting on such issues.

MFWA urged President Faure Gnassingbé to withdraw the case against the newspaper.

The Union of Independent Journalists of Togo (UJIT) in a statement to the Togolese authorities demanded protection of its members to enable them carry out their legitimate duties without fear or intimidation.

The statement said while some of its members had been threatened with telephone calls, certain radio stations and newspapers had been under surveillance, from persons suspected to be security operatives.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)’s correspondent in Togo reported that nine members of the UJIT had been targeted for expressing their opinions on various radio stations.

Two of the journalists were Francis Pédro Amuzun and Justin Anani of privately-owned Le Crocodile newspaper. The others are Zeus Aziadouvo of Liberté, Olivier Glakpé, Le Correcteur, Jérôme Sossou, Triangle des Enjeux, Augustin Amega, Le Canard Indépendant, Ferdinand Ayité, Journal Alternative, Isidore Akolor, Actu Express and Marcel Agbédokou of Radio X solaire.

Following the threats, Justin Anani went briefly into hiding for fear of his life.

The UJIT also condemned an August 10 threats issued by a French military officer to Komi Agbédivlo, a reporter of the privately-owned Liberté daily newspaper. The officer had forced the reporter to delete a photograph of him during a demonstration.

“This regrettable action by an officer from a country like France, whose authorities do not hide their commitment to the virtue of human rights, may compromise efforts made in recent times to ensure better cohabitation of the security forces and journalists in Togo,” the statement said.