Amnesty International Reports at Least Three Deaths in Togo Protests Over Constitutional Changes
BY AP NEWS
Amnesty International has reported that at least three people, including two minors, were killed during protests in Togo's capital, Lomé, on June 26, 27, and 28. The deaths come as President Faure Gnassingbé faces escalating criticism over recent constitutional revisions that critics fear could effectively allow him to remain in office indefinitely.
Aimé Adi, director of Amnesty International's Togo office, stated that the three bodies were discovered in a lagoon in Lomé's Be district, an area that witnessed violent clashes between protesters and security forces last week.
Adi revealed that the human rights organization spoke with the family of one of the deceased, a 16-year-old boy. His family reported that he went missing after leaving his home to go to the Be district during a lull in the turmoil on Thursday, June 27. His body was found in the lagoon the following day.
The protests erupted in response to constitutional changes that transform Togo from a presidential to a parliamentary system. Under this new framework, President Gnassingbé was sworn in as the President of the Council of Ministers in May, a powerful role with no official term limits, allowing for his potential indefinite re-election by parliament. Opposition figures have widely condemned these revisions as a "constitutional coup
"They discovered their son dead, with signs of blood and beating," he said, adding that the causes of the three fatalities are yet unknown.
On Sunday, a coalition of 12 Togolese civil society and human rights organizations accused security personnel of conducting arbitrary arrests, attacking residents with batons and ropes, and plundering or vandalizing private property.
Along with the three deaths documented by Amnesty International, civil society groups reported that two bodies were discovered in a lake in Lome's Akodessewa area on Friday and two more in a lagoon in Nyekonakpoe, Lome, on Saturday. Seven individuals were killed during the rally, according to the groups.
"So yet, the justice system has not made any arrests or ordered an autopsy. These acts of unimaginable brutality constitute a state offense. "The perpetrators struck without restraint and killed without distinction," the statement said.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Togo's government confirmed that bodies had been found from the Be lagoon and the Akodessewa lake, but stated that the victims drowned.
Tags: Signstvkenya Togo Faure Gnassingbé
