AIB dismayed as Togo bans French international media for three months
The Association for International Broadcasting is dismayed by the decision of Togo’s High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HAAC) to suspend the broadcasts of France 24 television and Radio France Internationale in the country for three months.
According to the press reports, HAAC claims that the Paris-headquartered broadcasters have “repeated failures, already reported and formally recalled, in terms of impartiality, rigour and verification of facts”. In 2024, the HAAC put RFI “on notice” for “unfair treatment of information” and “dissemination of false news about the country”.
“This suspension of independent fact-based news organisations deprives citizens of Togo of important information sources,” says AIB Chief Executive Simon Spanswick. “At a time when rumour spreads on social media platforms, the checks and balances provided by international broadcasters such as RFI and France 24 are vital to counter mis- and disinformation. The AIB calls on the HAAC to rescind its reported suspension rapidly and to allow RFI and France 24 to resume broadcasting in Togo.”
Also in June, a correspondent working for France’s TV5 Monde, Flore Monteau, has been arbitrarily detained in Togo. Monteau had been covering anti-government demonstrations in Lomé and was filming the dispersal of protesters by security forces. CPJ says that police seized her equipment and forced her to delete footage of the protests. She was also required to unlock her mobile phone by the police.
Togo, with a population of just under 9 million, is ranked 121st in the World Press Freedom Index 2025 published by Reporters Without Borders.
Image: HAAC headquarters in Lomé; courtesy Republique Togolaise