RSF Calls for Release of Detained French Filmmakers

Reporters Without Borders has called for the immediate release of two French documentary filmmakers, Gaël Mocaër and Sebastian Perez Pezzani, and their Togolese fixer, Fred Vedomey, who have been held in Togo since late July.

The three were arrested on 27 July in Kara, in northern Togo, while filming an episode of the documentary series Les Routes de l’impossible for France Télévisions. They were placed in pretrial detention on Monday and charged with making “false declarations” in immigration procedures. They are currently being held in a detention centre near the capital, Lomé.

Sadibou Marong, director of RSF’s Sub-Saharan Africa office, said the team was simply doing its job by reporting on the daily lives of Togolese people as part of an internationally focused documentary series. “There is absolutely nothing political, nothing illegal in what they did,” he stated. “This is why we are particularly insistent on the importance of their release.” He stressed that freedom of expression and freedom of the press remain the central issues. RSF has also noted that Perez Pezzani is suffering from serious health problems requiring immediate medical attention.

The arrests occur against a backdrop of strained relations between Lomé and French media. In April, Togo suspended broadcasts by the French state-owned networks Radio France Internationale and France 24. The suspensions followed constitutional changes under President Faure Gnassingbé that critics said could allow him to remain in power indefinitely.

Marong noted that the current detainees are not the first French journalists to face difficulties in Togo. In 2024, journalist Thomas Dietrich was arrested, tried and eventually expelled. He said it has become increasingly difficult for international media to operate in the country.

Northern Togo has faced repeated attacks in recent years by armed groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State. RSF continues to urge the Togolese authorities to free the three men and uphold press freedom standards.