Togolese rapper Aamron, known for his vocal criticism of President Faure Gnassingbe, has issued a public apology after spending more than a week in detention for what authorities claim was psychiatric treatment.
In a video widely circulated on social media on Thursday, the artist (real name Essowe Tchalla) expressed regret for what she described as “insulting and ugly” remarks against the president.
“I want to sincerely apologize to His Excellency Faure Gnassingbe,” Tchalla said, adding that she now regrets her words. She claimed to be receiving treatment for severe depression at a psychiatric clinic in Zebe, about 50 kilometers from the capital Lomé.
The rapper was arrested on May 26, shortly after calling for a satirical demonstration to coincide with the president’s birthday. His sudden arrest has been met with outrage from opposition groups and civil society, who see the move as an attempt to silence dissent.
Authorities insist that Tchalla was detained for mental health reasons, not political ones. “He was mentally unstable,” a gendarmerie official told.
But critics have rejected that explanation. “Aamron was arrested because of his activism,” said Nathaniel Olympio of Don’t Touch My Constitution Front, a coalition of opposition parties and rights groups.
The case has raised concerns about freedom of expression in Togo, where President Gnassingbe, in power since 2005, has recently strengthened his position by pushing through constitutional changes that strengthen his power under a new parliamentary system.
Another activist, Honore Sitsope Sokpor, known online as “Affectio”, has been in prison since January over a poem shared on social media, further fuelling criticism of the government’s crackdown on dissent.