UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, has sounded a new alarm over the deteriorating health of imprisoned Togolese activist Abdoul Aziz Goma. In a statement released on Monday, November 24, 2025, Lawlor expressed deep concern after learning that Goma had been hospitalized.
“Very worried to hear that imprisoned HRD Abdoul Aziz Goma has been hospitalised in Togo. He has been on hunger strike since 8 November, along with 36 others, to protest prison conditions & ongoing unjust detention. His weight has fallen to 50kg. I remain extremely concerned for his health,” she said.
Goma’s hunger strike is part of a broader protest movement inside Togolese prisons, where several detainees described by civil society groups as political prisoners have launched similar actions in recent weeks. They denounce what they call harsh detention conditions and the lack of justification for their continued imprisonment.
The developments come amid rising political tensions in Togo throughout 2025. Since June 6, the country has witnessed a new wave of demonstrations largely driven by Generation Z against poor governance and the absence of political alternation. Discontent intensified following a recent constitutional revision introducing a parliamentary system while allowing President Faure Gnassingbé to remain at the helm of the executive without term limits, reversing safeguards present in the previous constitution.
Despite growing mobilization from civil society groups and the Togolese diaspora, public demonstrations remain prohibited in the country. Online campaigns continue to gain momentum, though numerous arrests have been reported in recent months, along with cases of deaths documented by local civil society organizations.
Detained since December 2018, Abdoul Aziz Goma has become a central figure for international human rights advocates. His hunger strike, first reported in August, triggered widespread reactions, including from the European Parliament, which adopted a resolution on September 11, 2025, condemning what it described as his arbitrary detention.
