Rights group says Togo's government must respect freedom of assembly in election run-up

LOME, Togo – Amnesty International is calling on Togo's government to respect the right to demonstrate in the run-up to April 25 elections.

The international rights group on Tuesday warned against the excessive use of force. It said police used live rounds during a demonstration to support a teachers' strike in March, wounding at least 30 people in Glei, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of the capital, Lome.

It said police arrested 20 people, and one man died after his release.

Elections have been a source of tension in the tiny West African country, where thousands demonstrated in November in a failed bid for term limits to bar President Faure Gnassingbe from running for a third term.

Gnassingbe took power in 2005 after his father, who ruled Togo for 38 years, died.