TOGOLESE President Gnassingbe Eyadema has pardoned a journalist close to the opposition who was sentenced to prison in June for fraud, officials said on Monday. Eyadema on Wednesday signed a decree pardoning Lucien Djossou Messan, who was given a 12-month jail term in June. Messan, editor of the Combat du Peuple weekly, is known for his critical stance against the government. He was arrested on May 23 and swiftly brought to trial for signing a communiqu released by the Togolese Association of Private Press Editors (ATEPP). The public prosecutor said Messan was guilty of fraud, arguing that he was not entitled to sign the ATEPP statement since he was not the publisher. – AFP