Togo: Arrest and Detention of Teachers’ Union Leaders

On the evening of April 8, 2022, three leaders of the Togo Teachers’ Union (SET) were arrested and placed in custody at the Service Centre for Criminal Investigation and Investigation (SCRIC). The detained individuals—Sirs Kossi Kossikan, Joseph Toyou, and Ditorga Sambara Bayamina—held key positions within the union as Deputy Secretary General, Regional Secretary of Savane, and Prefectoral Delegate of Grand Lomé, respectively.

On April 11, 2022, they were brought before a judge and placed under a detention warrant by the dean of instructional judges at the Lomé court. The authorities accused them of inciting students and the public to revolt through messages of encouragement, threats, and unspecified signs of mobilization. The charges stem from an unsigned communication dated March 30, 2022, which allegedly called for an extension of a strike and encouraged students and parents to participate in protests.

One of the detainees, Ditorga Sambara Bayamina, has been on a hunger strike since his arrest and remains determined to continue his protest. His detention, along with that of his colleagues, has drawn criticism from rights advocates who see it as part of a broader crackdown on dissent within the education sector.