Claude Améganvi
Encyclopedia
Claude Henri Améganvi is a Togo
lese Trotskyist
and former political prisoner
. An architect
by training, in 1977 he joined the exile student movement in France
in opposition to the one-party dictatorship of Gnassingbé Eyadéma
. He helped found the Organisation of Togolese Workers for Democracy (OTTD) in 1988. He returned to Togo in 1991 during a period of political liberalisation and was a delegate to the National Conference and subsequently the High Council of the Republic (the transitional parliament). In December 1991 he went into exile again, this time in Benin
, until 1997. At the foundation of the Workers' Party
(PT) in 1998, Améganvi was selected national coordinator. He remained a strong critic of the regimes of Eyadéma and his son Faure Gnassingbé
. In September 2002, he was sentenced to four months in prison for defamation; he allegedly provided a Togolese newspaper the unsubstantiated claim that Forbes Magazine had named President Eyadéma one of the world's wealthiest people. The sentence was increased to six months, and Améganvi was released in February 2003.
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
lese Trotskyist
Trotskyism
Trotskyism is the theory of Marxism as advocated by Leon Trotsky. Trotsky considered himself an orthodox Marxist and Bolshevik-Leninist, arguing for the establishment of a vanguard party of the working-class...
and former political prisoner
Political prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
. An architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
by training, in 1977 he joined the exile student movement in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in opposition to the one-party dictatorship of Gnassingbé Eyadéma
Gnassingbé Eyadéma
General Gnassingbé Eyadéma , was the President of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005. He participated in two successful military coups, in January 1963 and January 1967, and became President on April 14, 1967...
. He helped found the Organisation of Togolese Workers for Democracy (OTTD) in 1988. He returned to Togo in 1991 during a period of political liberalisation and was a delegate to the National Conference and subsequently the High Council of the Republic (the transitional parliament). In December 1991 he went into exile again, this time in Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
, until 1997. At the foundation of the Workers' Party
Workers' Party (Togo)
Workers' Party is an opposition Togolese political party founded in 1998. It is of Trotskyist orientation and has links to the trade unions. Claude Améganvi has been the PT's national coordinator since the party's founding. PT is a member of Pierre Lambert's International Liaison Committee for a...
(PT) in 1998, Améganvi was selected national coordinator. He remained a strong critic of the regimes of Eyadéma and his son Faure Gnassingbé
Faure Gnassingbé
Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé has been the President of Togo since May 4, 2005. A son of President Gnassingbé Eyadéma, he was appointed to the government by his father, serving as Minister of Equipment, Mines, Posts, and Telecommunications from 2003 to 2005...
. In September 2002, he was sentenced to four months in prison for defamation; he allegedly provided a Togolese newspaper the unsubstantiated claim that Forbes Magazine had named President Eyadéma one of the world's wealthiest people. The sentence was increased to six months, and Améganvi was released in February 2003.