UN: Togo government violated human rights

[struggle4progress]

UN: Togo government violated human rights

By UTA HARNISCHFEGER
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

GENEVA -- At least 400 and as many as 500 people were killed in political violence in the West African nation of Togo earlier this year, and security forces were mostly to blame, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights said Monday.

Togo tumbled into crisis Feb. 5 when longtime dictator Gnassingbe Eyadema died of a heart attack and the military named his son Faure Gnassingbe hours later to replace him, contravening the constitution.

Within weeks, Gnassingbe bowed to foreign and domestic pressure and stepped down. Gnassingbe arranged April 24 elections that he officially won, but the opposition said they were rigged.

Street battles erupted between security forces and opposition supporters, and thousands of terrified residents fled across the borders to neighboring Ghana and Benin, alleging atrocities. <snip>

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=UN%20Rights%20Togo