Today, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice ruled that the September 2017 internet shutdown ordered by the Togolese government during protests is illegal and an affront to the applicants’ right to freedom of expression. The court ordered the government of Togo to pay two million CAF to the plaintiffs as compensation, and to take all the necessary measures to guarantee the implementation of safeguards with respect to the right to freedom of expression of the Togolese people. 

“Congratulations to the civil society of Togo, who brought the world’s attention to this egregious censorship and held their government accountable for interfering with their work advancing the public interest and democratic values,” said Peter Micek, General Counsel at Access Now. “Digital rights are human rights, the court has declared, and Togo’s government must meet its commitments to protect human rights, online as offline.”

In 2019, Access Now led a coalition of eight organizations...who submitted a “friends of the court,” or amici curiae, brief in the lawsuit filed by Amnesty International Togo and other applicants...

In our brief, we expressed concern around the growing trend of internet shutdowns globally and by West African nations in particular. Furthermore, we argued that the shutdown was inconsistent with regional and international frameworks and violated the fundamental human rights of the Togolese people...

We are incredibly satisfied by the ECOWAS court ruling that blackouts in Togo were illegal,” said Felicia Anthonio, Campaigner, #KeepItOn Lead at Access Now. “We are happy to see more rulings against internet shutdowns being issued by the courts across the globe, and view today’s outcome as a positive step towards ending internet shutdowns globally.”