Two French journalists detained in Togo since late July have been placed in pre-trial detention and charged with "false statements", Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said, calling for their immediate release.
Gaël Mocaër and Sebastian Perez Pezzani were arrested on 27 July along with their Togolese fixer, Fred Venum. They were filming a travel documentary series about journeys through remote and challenging regions for French public broadcaster France 5.
The three men were arrested near Kara in northern Togo while filming at a market about 20 kilometres from the border with Benin, RSF said.
Initially placed under house arrest, they were moved to pre-trial detention and charged with "false statements" on 17 August, the press freedom group said.
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Filming dispute
RSF said the two French journalists entered Togo after applying for work visas and received a filming permit from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts.
"They were simply doing their job, filming a documentary series that has absolutely no political purpose," Sadibou Marong, RSF's director for sub-Saharan Africa, told RFI.
"Keeping media professionals deprived of their freedom in these circumstances is unjustified and disproportionate."
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The journalists had all the necessary documents and authorisations, said Patrice Lucchini, director-general of of the production company behind the documentary.
He added that they had obtained approval from the Ministry of Culture and declared their equipment to customs.
However, Togo's media regulator, the High Authority for the Regulation of Written, Audiovisual and Digital Communication (HARC), said it had received no accreditation request from the journalists.
HARC said it had not been informed of their arrival in the country and did not know their professional status or the filming activities they planned to carry out in northern Togo.
Health concerns
A state of emergency remains in force in parts of northern Togo, which has faced incursions by jihadist groups, particularly from neighbouring Burkina Faso, since 2021.
The journalists' families voiced concern in the RSF statement, particularly about Pezzani, who they said "suffers from serious health problems requiring immediate medical attention".
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The three men are being held at the Agoè Logopé camp near the capital, Lomé, a military facility, RSF said.
France's foreign ministry said the two journalists are the subject of a judicial investigation and have received consular visits.
The case comes amid strained relations between French media and the Togolese authorities.
RFI and France 24 remain off the air after being suspended in June 2025 over allegations of a lack of impartiality in their reporting.
(with newswires)
