Togo’s High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) has announced a three-month suspension of France 24 and Radio France Internationale (RFI), accusing the two French media outlets of spreading “inaccurate and biased statements” during their coverage of recent protests in the country.
In a statement, the HAAC cited “repeated failures” to maintain neutrality and accuracy, stressing that press freedom “does not mean disinformation or interference in internal affairs.”
The decision further restricts French state media operations in West Africa, following similar suspensions in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—countries currently ruled by military juntas opposing French influence.
The authority pointed to three specific reports, including a France 24 interview on the arrest conditions of dissident rapper Omaron, and comments from a correspondent who called for “mobilization against institutions.”
The protests, which erupted in early June in the capital Lomé, targeted the regime of President Faure Gnassingbé, who succeeded his father in 2005 after 38 years of family rule.
Demonstrators condemned a recent constitutional reform strengthening presidential powers, the arrests of activists, and rising electricity prices. Dozens of detainees have been released, though some remain under investigation.
Togo dropped to 121st place in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, down eight positions from the previous year, amid reports of increasing media restrictions and harassment of journalists.
