Two journalists in Togo have been sent to prison for defaming a government minister on social media.

Newspaper editor Loic Lawson and freelance reporter Anani Sossou had accused the housing minister of failing to disclose the full details of a burglary at his home.

They said the politician reported the crime to the police, but did not declare that more than $600,000 in cash was stolen.

He subsequently took legal action against them.

The media watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, has called for the pair's immediate release.