Togo’s authorities summoned the European Union’s ambassador to Lomé on Friday, September 12, accusing the EU of “interference” following a European Parliament resolution calling for the release of Abdoul Aziz Goma, an Irish-Togolese citizen who has been imprisoned for seven years.
The resolution, adopted the previous day, highlighted serious human rights concerns surrounding Goma’s case, alleging “severe torture” during his detention. Goma was arrested in 2018 after reportedly supporting an opposition protest aimed at limiting presidential terms — a demonstration banned by the Togolese government.
After more than six years in pre-trial detention, Goma began a hunger strike on August 27. The European Union warned that his health has sharply deteriorated, citing “neurological damage, severe sciatica, and reduced mobility requiring urgent medical attention.”
In response to the resolution, the Togolese Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Gwilym Ceri Jones, the EU ambassador, seeking “clear explanations” about the European Parliament’s move and stressing that “Togolese justice operates in full independence,” according to a diplomatic source in Lomé.
Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, has repeatedly criticized Goma’s detention. In a letter sent to the Togolese government in January 2024, she noted that Goma had “covered accommodation costs for some young people who traveled to Lomé to participate in a protest… which he himself did not attend.”
Togo summons EU Ambassador over “interference” in detention of Irish-Togolese citizen
