The Togolese authorities have released 11 opposition members after brief detention on suspicion of preparing illegal documents against the provisional results of the March 4 presidential election.

Public prosecutor Robert Bakai said the detainees were set free on Thursday after arrested on Tuesday, citing article 159 of the country's penal code which stipulates if the maximum sentence of an offense is less than two years, the accused can be temporarily released.

"In this case, the maximum sentence is less than a year. This is why they were set free," the public prosecutor said.

But concerning the documents, he reiterated that the issue was very serious and charges could still be filed against them.

The detainees are members of the West African country's main opposition United Forces for Change (UFC), whose leader Jean- Pierre Fabre is challenging the results after declaring himself the winner of election.

The official results published by the electoral commission showed that Fabre scored 33.94 percent of the total votes cast, losing to outgoing President Faure Gnassingbe, who won 60.92 percent.

Protests were staged in the capital Lome after Saturday's publication of the results, triggering fears of violence which led to killings and displacement in the polls held in 2005.