In a joint statement made public this week, the professional press organizations denounce the decision of Justice against the Boss of the newspaper “L’Alternative”, Ferdinand Ayité and its editor, Isidore Kouwonou. They plead for the rewriting of article 3 paragraph 2 and article 156 of the press and communication code. Read the full press release:
COMMUNIQUE
It is with great regret that the professional press organizations learned on March 15, 2023, the sentence of 3 years in prison with a fine of 3 million CFA francs and the issuance of an arrest warrant against colleagues Ferdinand AYITE and Isidore KOUWONOU, respectively Director of publication and editor-in-chief of the bi-weekly “L’Alternative”.
The professional organizations of the Togolese press condemn this court decision and raise a strong protest against this umpteenth harassment against colleagues in a case that we thought was settled.
Indeed, the colleagues Ferdinand AYITE, Isidore KOUWONOU and the late Joël EGAH of the newspaper “Fraternité”, were targeted by a defamation complaint from the Ministers Kodzo ADEDZE of Commerce and Pius AGBETOMEY of Justice, according to a press release from the Public Prosecutor. Complaint filed following a program (“L’autrejournal”) hosted on the Youtube channel of the newspaper “L’Alternative”. This legal procedure had resulted in police custody and then detention of the colleagues in the civil prison of Lomé.
The unfortunates regained provisional release on December 31, 2021 after presenting on their channel a public apology demanded by the two ministers. It is with astonishment that the press organizations note the revival of this affair which we thought was closed, all the more so since on the eve of the release of our colleagues, Minister ADEDZE, questioned on the subject during his appearance on a program on “Kanal Fm”, had declared urbi et orbi that this case is definitively closed.
Press organizations denounce a clear desire to muzzle the newspaper “L’Alternative” in particular and the Togolese press in general, as evidenced by the lot of lawsuits brought recently against several newspapers. The professional organizations of the Togolese press draw the attention of the authorities of the country and of the international community to a phenomenon prejudicial to the freedom of the press which consists in settling accounts with journalists via the judicial apparatus.
Professional press organizations are very concerned about the deleterious situation in which the Togolese press vegetates. They plead for the rewriting of article 3 paragraph 2 and article 156 of the Press and Communication Code.