Togo is in the process of adopting the law on the protection of human rights defenders (HRDs). This law, enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders of December 1998, recognises and protects human rights defenders. The Togolese Coalition of Human Rights Defenders (CTDDH) validated the preliminary draft of this law on 12 September 2021.

Human rights defenders in Togo are working on a law that protects them in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders. The law on the protection of human rights defenders provides legal recognition and protection in order to create a safe working environment for defenders. It is time for the CTDDH to validate the draft law. All countries are called upon to adopt a similar provision in order to ensure a safe working environment for defenders, free of reprisals and aggressions. Togo’s willingness to adopt this law is welcomed by the West African Network of Human Rights Defenders, a network including 15 West African countries and Mauritania. The law on the protection of human rights is devoid of any form of restriction to promote fundamental freedoms

Clarisse ATIKLE, original article no longer available (Télévision Togolaise).