Bishops of Togo call for the release of “political prisoners”

At the end of its second ordinary session of the year on Friday June 16 2023, the Conference of Bishops of Togo (CET) asked the government for the “release of political prisoners”.


As the country begins the process of the next elections, many activists and sympathizers of the main opposition parties are in prison. During its 133rd ordinary session, the CET once again demanded that the militants and sympathizers of the Togolese opposition parties be released.

“The bishops make a plea to the government for the release of political prisoners” read a statement.

More than a hundred of activists arrested during violent demonstrations between August 2017 and February 2020, are detained in Togolese prisons. According to reports, most have not been tried and their cases are still under investigation in the courts.

This is not the first time that the Togolese episcopate has made a plea in favor of these detainees. In December 2020, the Catholic bishops of Togo also published a similar document.

This year, the Conference held its second ordinary session of the year as the voter registration process for the regional and parliament elections was completed. It urged the authorities and all the parties involved in this process to “create a good climate for the elections”.

The session, which ended at the beginning of the weekend, was essentially devoted to reflection on the ways and means of achieving self-care for the major seminaries, but the Togolese bishops also dealt with several other subjects, in particular that of the fight against violent extremism that besets the northern part of the country.