Unknown assailants attacked a meeting of a Togolese opposition party at the end of September, and at least six Togolese journalists were physically assaulted.

The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) called on the Togolese authorities to investigate and bring those responsible to justice. Reporting on a political rally should not mean exposing oneself to the risk of violence, said Angela Quintal, head of the CPJ's Africa programme.

The assaulted journalists reported that the local police did not take action against the attackers. The Togolese police have since announced that they have launched an investigation. The security forces had not intervened because the event had been banned. When asked by CPJ, the Ministry of Defence said it was not aware of the incident. Enquiries to Yawa Kouigan, Minister of Communications, Media and Culture, and to the government spokesperson remained unanswered.