Togo charges two French journalists over incorrect documents, rights group says

Image source, Universal Images Group via Getty Images Image caption, The two filmmakers were arrested while working in Kara, in northern Togo, last month

The two French journalists detained in Togo since last month have been charged with "false declarations" despite having the correct documents to work there, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said.

Gaël Mocaër and Sebastian Perez Pezzani had been filming a documentary in Kara, northern Togo, for France Télévisions when they were arrested on 27 July, the media rights group said, despite having work visas and authorisation to film there.

France's foreign ministry confirmed the pair's detention, adding that they had been visited by French officials three times. Togolese authorities have yet to comment.

Togo has faced criticism for clamping down on free speech, with several foreign journalists detained in recent years.

However, there are suggestions Mocaër and Pezzani are being held as bargaining chips for an exchange with France - a practice of which other countries have been accused .

The pair are being held in pre-trial detention at a "law-enforcement facility" near the capital, Lomé, RSF said.

It said Pezzani was "suffering from serious health problems that require immediate medical attention".

The men had all the required documents to work in the West African nation and were in "full compliance with the administrative regulations in force", Tony Comiti Productions, the company producing the show, said.

A third man - the journalists' Togolese fixer Fred Vedomey - has also been detained.

RSF director general Thibaut Bruttin said the organisation was "alarmed by a situation that has now lasted for more than 20 days".

"The organisation condemns these unjustified and disproportionate proceedings and calls for the immediate release of the French media professionals."

The families of the Frenchmen said they were hoping for a "swift resolution" in a joint statement shared by RSF, adding that the "uncertainty and anguish weigh daily" on them.

"We are devastated by the deprivation of liberty being endured in Togo by our partners, our fathers, our sons and our brothers," they said.

"Gaël and Sebastian are passionate documentary filmmakers, deeply committed to telling the stories of the people they meet and bearing witness to the realities of their lives."

The French foreign ministry said they were monitoring how the pair were being treated, as well as their access to legal representation. Officials were also in contact with their lawyer, employer and families, it added.

Tony Comiti Productions said Mocaër and Pezzani were "seasoned, experienced professionals" who had worked across the world to "document people's daily lives... with no political purpose".

While it is unclear why the journalists were arrested, some local reports have linked their detention to a Togolese investigative journalist who is living in exile in France.

Ferdinand Ayité was arrested in Togo in 2021 after complaints from government ministers over comments made online. He later left the country.

Some reports claim Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé wants him returned and that the French nationals could be used as leverage. Neither French nor Togolese authorities have suggested this was the case.

The case comes amid concerns over press freedom and political dissent in Togo, which ranks 97th out of 180 countries on RSF's press freedom index.

In June 2025, French broadcasters France 24 and RFI were suspended for three months for allegedly spreading "inaccurate and biased" information following anti-government protests. The broadcasters rejected the accusations.

The year prior, French journalist Thomas Dietrich was arrested while covering electoral campaigning in Togo and was later expelled from the country, according to the International Press Institute.

Togo - which gained independence from France in 1960 - has long been criticised for widespread corruption and fraud.

Gnassingbé has held office since he succeeded his father - who died in 2005 - and was re-elected in 2010, 2015 and 2020 in elections opposition parties have alleged were subject to widespread fraud.

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