On the case of Abdoul Aziz Goma, arbitrarily detained in Togo

B100386/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the case of Abdoul Aziz Goma, arbitrarily detained in Togo

(2025/2862(RSP))

The European Parliament,

- having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

whereas Irish-Togolese citizen Abdoul-Aziz Goma was arrested on 21 December 2018 in Lomé, in Togo, after providing humanitarian aid to peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators, amidst a wider crackdown by Togolese authorities who have repeatedly suppressed such protests with lethal force and mass arrests;

whereas Mr Goma was subjected to severe torture, while being kept incommunicado for long periods, enduring over six years of inhumane pre-trial detention in the overcrowded Lomé civil prison, before being sentenced to ten years of imprisonment in an unfair trial; whereas torture and ill-treatment, malnutrition and poor healthcare are prevalent in prisons within Togo;

whereas the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) already found that Mr Goma’s detention is arbitrary, in violation of international law, and called unsuccessfully for his immediate release and his right to reparations;

whereas this case is symptomatic of severe democratic backsliding in Togo, exemplified by the 2024 constitutional changes which abolished the direct popular vote for the president, a move to bypass term limits and entrench the incumbent’s rule indefinitely;

whereas Russian influence is growing in the Sahel and wider West African region through disinformation and the deployment of Kremlin-backed mercenaries who commit gross human rights violations; whereas there are concerns that the legitimate fight against terrorist groups spilling over from the Sahel is being used as a pretext by the Togolese authorities to intensify the domestic crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators and to seek engagement with such mercenaries;

Urges Togolese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Abdoul-Aziz Goma, in line with the opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; demands that his conviction be vacated, his safety be guaranteed, and the authorities facilitate his urgent medical evacuation;

Underlines the need for ensuring that conditions of detention meet international human rights standards; calls for the Togolese authorities to carry out reforms to its penitentiary system, and to end the practice of arbitrary pre-trial imprisonment against political opponents;

Urges the Togolese authorities to conduct a prompt, independent, and impartial investigation into the torture of Mr. Goma and to hold all those responsible to account;

Calls on the VP/HR, the European External Actions Service and the EU Delegation to Togo, in close coordination with the Irish authorities, to intensify diplomatic efforts to secure Abdoul-Aziz Goma’s immediate release;

Expresses its grave concern over the growing Russian influence in the region and urges the Togolese authorities to refrain from engaging with Kremlin-backed mercenaries, and from using the fight against terrorism as a pretext for domestic human right violations;

Stresses the need for the EU to consider targeted measures against Togolese officials responsible for the ongoing detention of Mr. Goma and other grave human rights violations;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, the Irish authorities, the Togolese authorities, the African Union, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Pan-African Parliament.