Bertin Bandiangou is a young Togolese pro-democracy activist and vocal critic of Togo’s repressive regime, Africa’s oldest dynastic dictatorship. A law student at the University of Lomé and the national president of the independent students’ union, Synergie des Élèves et Étudiants du Togo (SEET), he has suffered intimidation for his activism. In April 2024, he was threatened with expulsion over his vocal opposition to dictator Faure Gnassingbé’s constitutional changes to extend his rule. In July 2024, security forces abducted his father and subjected him to torture for 10 days. In July 2025, Bandiangou himself was detained and tortured for leading a peaceful pro-democracy demonstration. A few weeks after his release, a new wave of repression forced him to flee Togo into exile.