Togo will be examined under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) for the second time on 31 October 2016. Since Togo’s first UPR in 2011, the human rights situation on the ground has stagnated. The authorities have ignored, or only partially implemented, several of the recommendations and continued to clamp down on peaceful demonstrations, journalists and human rights defenders. Human rights violations, including torture and unlawful killings, are still committed with impunity. States participating in the review should fully engage with Togo in addressing the human rights situation in the country, particularly in light of the closure in 2015 of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Lomé.
