In exile since 2022, renowned Togolese investigative journalist Ferdinand Mensah Ayité has sent a powerful letter to Pope Leon XIV, denouncing what he calls the “slow death of the press” in Togo. Ayité, who received the International Press Freedom Award from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in 2023, urges the Vatican to speak out against the ongoing crackdown on journalists and dissenting voices in his home country.
In his letter dated May 30, Ayité commended the Pope’s May 12 address defending press freedom, in which the pontiff expressed solidarity with imprisoned journalists. “Your words touch a crucial issue with great clarity and moral strength,” wrote Ayité.
He highlighted the worsening conditions for media professionals in Togo, where journalists face arbitrary arrests, torture, and biased trials. According to Ayité, the country’s media regulator, the HAAC, has been co-opted by the ruling party to suppress independent reporting. He also recalled his own arrest in 2021 after airing a program on corruption. His colleague, Joël Egah, died shortly after their release.
Ayité described a broader climate of fear in which opposition activists, artists, and writers are targeted. He cited the arrest of poet Honoré Sitchope Sokpor for publishing a critical poem and the recent alleged kidnapping of singer AAMRON by heavily armed agents.
He also referenced the 2021 Pegasus spyware scandal, which revealed surveillance of over 300 Togolese citizens, including journalists and clergy.
Calling on the Vatican to use its influence, Ayité asked Pope Leon XIV to encourage democratic reforms during future meetings with President Faure Gnassingbé. “Freedom of expression and the press must not be sacrificed,” he wrote, urging international attention to the plight of political prisoners and the stifling of civil liberties in Togo.
Ayité ended his message by seeking the Pope’s blessing for the Togolese people and expressing hope for a freer future.
