Anani,
a journalist of the Crocodile weekly was on October 5, 2012 physically
assaulted by police officers while covering their (police) clamp down on
demonstrators belonging to opposition and human rights groups in Lome, the
capital.
The assault on the journalist left him unconscious
following a knock he received from one of the police officers, and was rushed
to a hospital where he was revived.
According
to the Media Foundation for West Africa’s (MFWA) correspondent, Anani and other
journalists were covering a demonstration held by members of “Let’s Save Togo
Association” (CST) and the “Arc-en-Ciel” (Rainbow) Coalition to commemorate the
22nd Anniversary of the October 5, 1990 uprising.
According
to the correspondent, Anani was attacked while he and other colleagues had gone
to the aid of a journalist who was being harassed by one of the security
officers.
“A
gendarme approached me without me noticing him and he elbowed me in my side
(abdomen). I was not able to breathe well, and I fell down. I did not know what
happened next, except that I woke up in the hospital later,” Anani told the
correspondent.
“At
the moment, I feel pains in my knees and I also have difficulty breathing. When
I walk, I get tired easily,” said Anani who is currently undergoing treatment
at a local hospital.
The
MFWA adds its voice in condemning this attack by calling on the Togolese
authorities, especially the police hierarchy, to investigate this incident and
take the necessary steps to ensure that their security officers act according
to the laws of the country.
Source: MFMA
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