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Authorities in Togo have placed two French documentary filmmakers and their Togolese associate in pretrial detention after more than three weeks in custody, according to Reporters Without Borders, which announced the development Thursday. The three individuals—filmmakers Gaël Mocaër and Sebastian Perez Pezzani, alongside fixer Fred Vedomey—face charges of submitting false declarations during immigration procedures. The Paris-based media advocacy organization called for their immediate release and condemned what it characterized as an unlawful detention.
Mocaër and Perez Pezzani were arrested July 27 in Kara, a city in northern Togo, while filming a documentary episode for a French public broadcaster. Police seized their equipment during the arrest, briefly releasing the three on July 30 before rearresting and transferring them to the capital, Lomé. According to the advocacy group, Perez Pezzani requires urgent medical treatment for serious underlying health conditions.
Togo’s Culture Minister Isaac Tchiakpé rejected claims that the filmmakers had obtained proper authorization from his ministry, stating that detention would not have occurred had they followed established procedures. The country’s media regulator, HARC, indicated it received no accreditation request from the crew or France Télévisions and was never informed of the northern Togo filming operation.
The incident reflects deteriorating relations between Togo’s government and French media outlets. In June 2025, Togolese authorities suspended broadcasts by Radio France Internationale and France 24 for three months, alleging biased and inaccurate coverage of anti-government protests. Togo has simultaneously strengthened ties with Russia and military-led governments in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, all of which have reduced French military presence.
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