Akufo Addo's lawyer, human rights NGOs join forces in parliament to kill Anti-LGBTQ bill

• Two coalitions have forwarded a memorandum to parliament on the anti-LGBTQ bill
• The drafters are warning of the impact on Ghana’s democracy
• The memorandum condemns the Proper Human Sexual Rights Bill

The lead lawyer for the President in the 2020 Election Petition, Lawyer Akoto Ampaw and other lawyers and professors have filed a memorandum to Parliament to reject the Bill that criminalizes LGBTQ+ activities.

Presenting their case in a memorandum to the Parliamentary legal committee, the Human Rights Coalition group, which includes the Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) condemned the “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021” arguing that it puts Ghana in a bad light and goes against the country’s emblem of Freedom and Justice.

“The Bill seeks, in a nutshell, to criminalize LGBTQ+ sexual relationships and associations. The Bill also criminalizes directly or indirectly a wide range of other conduct. Some of the Bill’s proscriptions also apply to non-LGBTQ+ persons,” they argued.

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Also, the second group that brought the petition, includes Private Legal Practitioner, Akoto Ampaw, an Academic, Professor Emerita Takyiwaa Manuh, Professor Kwame KariKari, Professor Kofi Gyimah-Boadi, Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, Professor H. Kwasi Prempeh, Professor Raymond Atuguba among others. They have argued the impact that the bill poses on international human rights and Ghana’s reputation as a democratic state.

“The Bill violates the right to inviolability of the person. It violates virtually all the key fundamental freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution, namely the right to freedom of speech and expression; the right to freedom of thought, conscience and belief; the freedom to practice any religion and to manifest such in practice (which includes the freedom not to practice any religion); the right to assemble, including the freedom to take part in processions and demonstrations,” it adds.

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The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, 2021 is a private bill that was brought to parliament by a private citizen with support from the Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam George.

Although many have critiqued the bill for being anti-LGBTQ, drafters of the bill insist it is in the good interest of Ghana and family tradition.

Source: YEN.com.gh