Two French Filmmakers Have Been Arrested and Detained in Togo Since July 27, According to the French Foreign Ministry
RSF says the three were held after police seized their equipment and disputed whether they had the proper filming authorizations.
- Togolese authorities placed French filmmakers Gaël Mocaër and Sebastian Perez Pezzani and fixer Fred Vedomey in pretrial detention on Monday, charging them with making 'false declarations' in immigration procedures, RSF said.
- Culture Minister Isaac Tchiakpè rejected RSF's assertion that the filmmakers held proper ministry authorization, while Togo's media regulator HARC said it received no accreditation request from the crew.
- Police seized equipment and briefly released the three on July 30 before rearresting them and transferring them to Lomé, where RSF called the proceedings 'unjustified' and 'disproportionate.'
- The detentions reflect strained relations between Togo's government and French media; in June 2025, authorities suspended Radio France Internationale and France 24 broadcasts for three months, citing biased reporting.
- Togo has moved closer to Russia and three military-led countries—Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—that have expelled or sidelined French forces, suggesting a broader geopolitical realignment affecting how authorities treat French entities.
58 Articles
58 Articles
Associated Press News
Togo detains French filmmakers over alleged immigration violations, advocacy group says
Media freedom group Reporters Without Borders says that two French filmmakers and their Togolese fixer have been jailed in Togo after more than three weeks in custody.
Togo: Rights Group Calls for Release of Two French Journalists Held in Togo
Two French journalists detained in Togo since late July have been placed in pre-trial detention and charged with "false statements", Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has said, calling for their immediate release.
The French directors Gaël Mocaër and Sebastian Perez Pezzani, arrested on 27 July in Togo with their fixer Fred Vedomey, are charged with "false statements". Despite permission to shoot, they...
On Wednesday, 19 August, the families of the two French documentaries arrested on 27 July in Togo and detained with a local collaborator expressed their "great concern", especially for their health. Reporters Without Borders calls for their "immediate release".
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Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources lean Left, 44% of the sources are Center
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