ACCRA, December 18-LEGBT people are perpetually under the state of threat in Ghana and it got worse as the Supreme Court is all set to lift any challenges to the anti-LGBT bill. The bill was unanimously approved by the national Parliament in February of this year. If the President signs it into law then it will further curb the rights of LGBT people as well as those who are supporters of lesbian, gay, and other sexually non-conformist groups.
However, President Nana Akufo-Addo is still postponing the signing holding on to the challenges filled in the Supreme Court. Moreover, Amanda Odoi and Richard Sky, two important lawyers, challenged the bill, urged them to declare it illegal, and tried to persuade the president not to sign it.
Justice Avril Lovelance-Johnson, a member of the member panel court thinks that the cases were premature.
Lawyers for Odoi and Sky Expressed their disappointment to Reuters regarding the ruling and have decided to further examine their options after going through the full judgment.
On the other hand, a union of Christian, Muslim, and Ghanaian traditional leaders backed the legislation.
Gay sex was already punishable by up to three years in prison before this legislation. The bill now also imposes a prison sentence of up to five years for the “wilful promotion, sponsorship, or support of LGBTQ+ activities”.
Supporters of the bill are firm in their standpoint and pushing for its promulgation while neglecting the warning of the Finance Minister. According to the finance minister, if the bill is passed in the parliament it can jeopardize the $3.8 billion in World Bank financing and the $3-billion loan package from the International Monetary Fund. This financial aid is crucial to end the present economic crisis in Ghana.
Abena Takyiwaa Manuh, a senior fellow of Accra-based Centre for Democratic Governance, said in the court “I think that just this pronouncement, this kind of formalism, actually puts at risk, the lives and health of members of the (LGBT) community and some of us who are human rights defenders,”.