As a result, things are likely to change. The human rights situation in Togo has been particularly bad in the past three years, with mass killings, extra-judicial executions, rapes, bombing of houses, etc. A regime of terror has taken over the country, and the authorities appear to be deaf to the appeals and condemnations of the international human rights community. Prisoners were found dead in their cells, political opponents killed, and members of the press arrested. Nowadays things seem to have improved slightly, but violations continue to occur, only more discretely.
People continue to be killed and burned in the streets.
NGOs work in very difficult conditions. Executive members are threatened every day, and some have been compelled to flee the country. Work conditions are totally insecure. It was not possible for the researcher to meet with all the human rights NGOs on her list, because in some cases executive members of an organization were in exile, while in others the NGO did not exist any longer because its executives were in prison. ACAT-Togo has sought, but has so far not yet received, official authorization to function.