Freedom Now strongly condemns the conviction of Abdoul Aziz Goma, an Irish citizen of Togolese origin who was detained in December 2018 on charges related to assisting local protestors. After finally beginning a trial on February 3, 2025, a court in Lomé sentenced him, the same day, to 10 years’ imprisonment.
The trumped-up charges against Goma misrepresent the reality—that he only answered a friend’s call to help a group of young protesters needing accommodation. For that action, he was arrested, violently tortured, and detained for more than six years in inhumane conditions, sometimes without access to legal aid, adequate food, or healthcare.
In March 2023, Freedom Now and law firm McKool Smith petitioned the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on Goma’s behalf. The Working Group subsequently determined that Goma’s imprisonment was a violation of international law as there was no legal basis for his arrest and that his rights to assembly, association, and a fair trial were infringed.
Given his lengthy pre-trial detention and dire medical condition, Goma should be released immediately and unconditionally. Moreover, the Government of Togo must vacate his conviction and ensure he receives full and fair reparations for the violations of his rights in accordance with the opinion of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Further, the Togolese authorities must not criminalize humanitarian action nor prosecute human rights defenders to deter others from exercising their right to peacefully protest. Goma has already suffered years of injustice and must not be imprisoned one minute more.