Togo

Regions: 
Africa

Togo hasn’t signed the Rome Statute, however, the country participated in the 1998 conference that adopted the ICC statute. Togo hasn’t signed the APIC, but signed a Bilateral Agreement with the USA on 13 June 2003, regarding the surrender of people to international tribunals.

Background
• The Republic of Togo is located in West Africa and is a member of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Community (ACP) as well as the African Union (AU). In 2005 Eyadéma Gnassingbé, president of Togo for more than 38 years died and his son Faure Essozimma Gnassingbé was installed as president, with help of the army. After the international and domestic pressure, Faure Essozimma decided to hold elections in 2005 and was re-elected in 2010 and 2015.
Cooperation

Togo has not adopted any legislation implementing the Rome Statute.

Civil society advocacy

On 9 September 2014, the government of Togo submitted a bill on a new criminal code to parliament. The text contains provisions on the crime of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of apartheid, but has yet to be passed by lawmakers.

A letter was sent to President Faure Gnassingbe urging the importance for Togo to implement the responsibility to protect within its national law to prevent mass atrocities thus contributing to the fight against impunity. Togo should urge parliament to pass a long-delayed bill on a new criminal code to allow for prosecutions of atrocity crimes.