_____________________

LOME - The editor of a Togolese newspaper was arrested on Thursday night and faces seven charges including publishing "fake news", according to his lawyer, as media watchdogs warn of a press clampdown ahead of upcoming elections.

Apollinaire Mewenemesse, editor of the newspaper La Depeche, had been held by security forces since Tuesday in connection with an article published last month that questioned a general's conviction in the murder of a supporter of President Faure Gnassingbe.

Mewenemesse, 71, "went to prison this evening", said his lawyer, Me Darius Kokou Atsoo.

He has been charged with the "publication of fake news to incite the public or the military to rise against the state", among other crimes.

His arrest comes as the West African country faces a political crisis less than one month before legislative elections.

On Monday, parliament almost unanimously adopted a new constitution that ended elections for the country's leader. Instead, the president will now be selected by lawmakers "without debate".

Critics fear the reform, which was proposed by the ruling party, will allow Gnassingbe to remain in power indefinitely, though it is unclear when the change will take effect.

In 2005, Gnassingbe succeeded his father, General Gnassingbe Eyadema, who seized power in a coup more than 50 years ago.

Press watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said Mewenemesse's arrest shows the increasing pressure on the media ahead of the April 20 legislative election.

Sadibou Marong, RSF's Sub-Saharan Africa director, urged his release "without delay".

While Togo has a vibrant media landscape and press freedom is protected by law, journalists' safety remains a major concern, especially for those who criticise the government, according to RSF.

The organisation ranked Togo 70th of 180 countries on its latest press freedom index.

Mewenemesse's newspaper, La Depeche, was suspended for three months on March 4 over a February 28 article that questioned a court's conviction of army head General Abalo Kadangha, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Kadangha was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of Lieutenant Colonel Bitala Madjoulba, a fervent Gnassingbe supporter who was found dead the day after the 2020 inauguration.

The article in question compared Kadangha's case to that of wrongly convicted French Jewish army captain Alfred Dreyfus in the late 19th century.