In 1990, the Togolese people started a strong arm for the democratization of its political institutions, and towards good governance with an archaic dictatorship, now 35 years old. This peaceful endeavour was met with extreme and bloody repressive brutality from Eyadema's government; like the lagoon massacres at Bè and Fréau Jardin Lagoons; the systematic violations of rights and individual and collective freedoms; extra judiciary executions; and the political assassinations reported numerous times by Amnesty International (AI), the International Federation of Humans Rights (FIDH), the American State Department, etc.

Until now, the Togolese Justice officials have not clarified any of these cases of obvious violations of human rights, which also violate the Togolese Constitution. The authors or sponsors of these acts, some identified by name, are not worried and circulate freely. There were also the extra-judicial executions at the time of the presidential elections of 1998, at the end which the dictator Gnassingbé Eyadéma was declared victorious under conditions disputed by the independent observers, among whom were some from the European Union. All these tragic events forced tens of thousands of Togolese to escape to exile, towards Ghana and Benin, then France, Belgium, Germany, England, the United States, Canada etc.

To regulate the dispute born of the forceful electoral high jacking of June 1998, difficult negotiations known by the name, Inter-Togolese Dialogue, were started under the supervision of facilitators named by the European Union, the International Organization of the Francophonie, France and Germany, in order to lead the country to a peaceful democratic transition. The means were to be free, equitable and transparent legislative and presidential elections. Three years later, no progress was made. As a consequence of the inflexibility and the bad faith of the Togolese dictatorship, which confirmed an absence of good will to democratize the country. Successive blockings of the preliminary works of the elections, and finally the unilateral modification of the consensual electoral code in February 2002, provide the latest evidence on the RPT regime's lack of political will to keep its commitments made in 1999 through the Lomé Agreement.

In spite of the economic sanctions imposed for several years by the international community, the barons of the RPT regime always find the means to fill their pockets. They travel easily to be treated in the hospitals of the Western countries and they send their family members to the schools and universities of these same countries. Worse, the population is being punished for seeking another form of government. The degradation of the educational and health systems reflects this punishment. The national economy is on its knees, under conditions in which those holding power in the regime benefit by positioning themselves in state associations. The leaders of the opposition and all those which protest against the dictatorial system are slandered and attacked daily on the state owned media, and they are not allowed to circulate freely inside the country to meet people. The directors who publish the free press are pursued and imprisoned, when they do not accept to pass official messages.

Vis-a-vis the tragedy which the Togolese people are undergoing, we ask that targeted sanctions be enforced against the General Gnassingbé Éyadéma, the moguls of his regime, their families, and the repressive apparatus by which they function, namely:

- the refusal of visas of entry to all countries that defend democracy and freedom, in particular the European Convention countries, the United States and Canada.

-the freezing of their assets abroad until the political situation is unblocked.

-the freezing of any form of cooperation with the army and the security services of Togo.

-the withdrawal of the rights of overflight and transit of the military aircrafts of the Togolese government.

We believe that these measures can force the Togolese regime to respect the commitments made and fulfil the requests of democracy, good governance and respect of the personal and collective freedoms, and especially to prevent an explosion of violence likely to create another habitat of war on the African continent.

Thank you for your support to our common struggle.

The following organizations are backing this call for targeted sanctions:

Union des Ressortissants Togolais en Allemagne (URTA, Germany)
Diaspora Togolaise pour la Démocratie (Diastode, Canada, Belgium, USA)
Communauté Togolaise au Canada (CTC)
Mouvement Patriotique du 5 Octobre, MO5
Collectif des Togolais Vivant aux Antilles-Guyane (CTVAG)
Action Commune pour le Togo (ACT)
Association des Togolais en Berlin-Brandenburg (ATBB)
Association Togolaise de Normandie (ATN)
Promotion Afrique,
Togo's Haus