At a glance-
Freedom of the Press 2016: Togo
The passing of a new penal code in November toughened legislation on press freedom, criminalizing defamation and false news.
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Freedom of the Press 2015: Togo
Ranked 137th in annual global media freedom report
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Freedom of the Press 2014: Togo
Ranked 146th in annual global media freedom report
28 April 2009
Alert
Media regulatory body lifts ban on phone-ins
Incident details
radio station(s) ban liftedThe ban was lifted after a meeting of the Minister of Communication and Culture, Oulegoh Keyewa, the HAAC and media organisations.
Media Foundation for West Africa's (MFWA) correspondent reported that the suspension occurred on 17 April in the wake of an alleged coup plot involving Kpatcha Gnassingbe, a former defence minister and brother of the country's president.
The correspondent said the HAAC claimed during the ban that allowing public commentary on the alleged coup plot, through phone-ins in the electronic media, would prejudice the case.
In a press statement, media organisations accused the HAAC of arbitrariness and said that the decision violated the right of the people to access information.
"This decision by HAAC was a serious attack on the practice of the profession and a flagrant violation of Article 3 of the Press and Communication Law which states that: 'the Togolese state guarantees to everyone living in the country the right to be informed, to inform and to have access to sources of information and to means of information in conformity with the laws on communication'."
Updates alert on the phone-in ban: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/102559
Source
Media Foundation for West Africa
PO Box LG 730
30 Duade Street, Kokomlemle
Legon, Accra
Ghana
alerts (@) mediafound.org
Phone: +233 21 242470
Fax: +233 21 221084
- Most covered free expression issues in this country