Two French journalists and their Togolese fixer have been placed in pre-trial detention in Togo on charges of “false statements,” according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which has called for their immediate release. Gaël Mocaër and Sebastian Perez Pezzani were arrested on 27 July along with Fred Venum near Kara in northern Togo, approximately 20 kilometres from the Benin border. The team was filming a travel documentary series for French public broadcaster France 5, focusing on journeys through remote regions.
Initially placed under house arrest, the three men were transferred to pre-trial detention on 17 August. They are being held at the Agoè Logopé military camp near the capital, Lomé. RSF said the journalists entered Togo with valid work visas and obtained a filming permit from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Arts. Patrice Lucchini, director-general of the production company, stated that all necessary authorisations were secured, including approval from the Ministry of Culture and customs declaration of equipment.
However, Togo’s media regulator, the High Authority for the Regulation of Written, Audiovisual and Digital Communication (HARC), said it received no accreditation request and was not informed of the journalists’ arrival or planned activities in the north. A state of emergency remains in force in parts of northern Togo, where jihadist incursions from neighbouring Burkina Faso have occurred since 2021.
RSF’s director for sub-Saharan Africa, Sadibou Marong, told RFI the documentary has no political purpose and that detaining the crew is unjustified and disproportionate. The journalists’ families have expressed particular concern for Pezzani, who reportedly suffers from serious Health problems requiring immediate medical attention.
France’s foreign ministry confirmed the two journalists are subject to a judicial investigation and have received consular visits. The case unfolds amid strained relations between French media and Togolese authorities. RFI and France 24 remain off the air after being suspended in June 2025 over allegations of a lack of impartiality in their reporting.
