In Togo, the erosion of information freedom is no longer confined to NGO reports or regulatory statements. It is now palpable on street corners and sidewalks, where distributing a newspaper has become a perilous undertaking. By extending pressure to even street vendors, President Faure Gnassingbé has crossed a troubling threshold: that of systematic and operational suppression of free speech.

The crackdown on vendors intensifies

For years, control over the press in Togo relied on conventional institutional levers: summonses, temporary publication suspensions, withdrawal of press cards, and threats of defamation lawsuits. While these methods gradually compelled many newsrooms into self-censorship, they proved insufficient to extinguish the public’s growing demand for critical information.

The recent arrests of independent newspaper distributors and vendors in Lomé thus mark a significant shift in methodology. By targeting the most vulnerable link in the information chain – workers who earn their living selling individual copies – authorities are no longer merely seeking to penalize content. Instead, they aim to sever the direct connection between a newspaper and its readership.

Attacking distribution networks aligns with a strategy of economic and security repression. The objective is unambiguous: to instill fear among resellers, compelling them to refuse to display opposition or investigative titles. This creates an invisible yet devastating commercial blockade for media companies already struggling financially.

HARC: professional regulation or censorship arm?

At the core of Faure Gnassingbé’s apparatus, the High Authority for Audiovisual and Communication (HARC) faces increasingly sharp criticism from trade unions and the Togolese Press Employers’ Association (PPT). Tasked with safeguarding freedom of expression and ensuring balance across the media landscape, from print to digital, the institution is now widely perceived by the profession as a tool for editorial alignment.

Under the guise of