LOME, Togo (AP) — Togo has suspended broadcasts by two French state-owned networks for three months for an alleged lack of impartiality in their reporting, according to a statement from the High Authority for Audiovisual Communication on Monday.
The move to censor foreign media outlets comes as President Faure Gnassingbé faces increasing pressure from critics over recent changes in the constitution that could effectively keep him in power indefinitely. Critics have called the changes a constitutional coup.
Radio France Internationale, or RFI, and France 24 are the networks being suspended.
“This measure follows repeated failings, already reported and formally recalled, in matters of impartiality, rigor, and fact-checking. Several recent broadcasts have relayed inaccurate, biased, and even contrary to established facts, undermining the stability of republican institutions and the country’s image,” read the statement.
“Freedom of the press cannot be synonymous with disinformation or interference,” it said.
Protests are scheduled for next week following a crackdown on protests earlier this month.
Demonstrations are rare in Togo as they have been banned in the country since 2022 following a deadly attack at Lome’s main market. But the latest change in government structure has been widely criticized in a region threatened by rampant coups and other threats to democracy.
