Honoré Sitsopé Sokpor, known as Affectio; Abdoul Fadel Ouattara, known as Prince Fadel, an engaged artist; Armand Agblézé, President of the Synergy of Youth for Social Development (SJDS), an organization that is a member of Tournons La Page Togo (TLP-Togo); as well as Oséi Agbagno, a member of the SJDS, all members of TLP-Togo, are among the 1,511 detainees granted a pardon according to the Togolese Council of Ministers’ session of December 30, 2025. They were released on December 31, 2025.

This release represents one of TLP’s most significant victories in Togo in 2025. While it may be perceived as a simple act of clemency by Faure Gnassingbé, it is above all the outcome of a collective struggle carried out consistently by TLP-Togo, in collaboration with other civil society organizations, democratic political actors, and human rights defenders, both nationally and internationally.

Throughout their detention, TLP-Togo continuously demanded their release, denouncing the instrumentalization of justice, arbitrary arrests and detentions, violence, and repeated violations of fundamental freedoms. Through awareness campaigns, press releases, and advocacy actions at both national and international levels, the organization maintained pressure, refusing oblivion and indifference.

This mobilization was praised by Abdoul Fadel Ouattara, alias Prince Fadel, a few days after his release:

“I would like to thank all civil society organizations, human rights organizations, political actors, and lawyers, both nationally and within the diaspora, who fought for our release,” he declared.

Arbitrary and Contested Arrests

Honoré Sitsopé Sokpor, alias Affectio, was abducted on January 12, 2025, in Lomé by members of the national gendarmerie, before being violently beaten and detained at their premises. Presented before an investigating judge on January 14, he was charged with “undermining the internal security of the State.” A detention order was issued on January 15, leading to his transfer to the Lomé civil prison.

On February 26, 2025, the Lomé Court of Appeal rejected the request for provisional release filed by his lawyers. He was accused of inciting civil disobedience through his social media posts, particularly his poem entitled “Do Your Part.” In this text, Affectio denounced government oppression and called for citizen mobilization against a political system he considered unjust. The authorities interpreted the expression “Indignez-vous” (“Be outraged”) as a call for insurrection and revolt against state institutions.

Abdoul Fadel Ouattara, alias Prince Fadel, is an engaged artist whose songs were regularly played during popular demonstrations. He was arrested on November 25, 2019, in connection with the so-called “Tigre Révolution” case, linked to the political protests of 2017, during which several individuals were accused of undermining state security. Taken to his home for a search, no incriminating evidence was found. Despite this, he was kept in detention without trial until his release.

His arrest occurred shortly after the release of his song “Faure must go. Enough is enough,” a title openly critical of those in power.

According to a medical certificate issued on June 10, 2025, Abdoul Fadel Ouattara was hospitalized on May 4, 2024, for multiple and persistent illnesses, notably resulting from trauma suffered during his detention. The medical document indicates a serious progressive risk that could endanger his life and recommends urgent specialized medical care.

On August 23, 2025, Armand Agblézé and Oséi Agbagno were arbitrarily arrested in Adidogomé, a neighborhood of Lomé, by plainclothes officers who took them in an unmarked vehicle to the premises of the Central Criminal Investigations Service (SCRIC) in Lomé.

On August 28, 2025, Armand Agblézé and Oséi Agbagno were brought before the public prosecutor, who decided to refer the case to an investigating judge. The judge opened a judicial investigation and charged them with “aggravated disturbance of public order” before issuing a detention warrant executed on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. They were held at the Lomé civil prison until their release on December 31, 2025, under provisional release, contrary to the presidential pardon that had been announced.