Feb 28, 2024 at 9:46 PM Update: 19 minutes ago
Ghana passed an even stricter anti-gay law on Wednesday. It was already forbidden to have sex with someone of the same sex, but now you even risk a prison sentence if you are considered LGBTI.
Someone who is classified as LGBT risks three years in prison. People who form or finance LGBTI groups can get five years in prison. Anyone who promotes gay rights to children can even go to jail for ten years.
People who have sex with someone of the same sex in the West African country already risk a prison sentence of three years. Activists fear that the new law will lead to a witch hunt on the LGBTI community, because the new law encourages people to report LGBTI people to the authorities.
Amnesty International has warned that the legislation “poses a serious threat to the fundamental rights and freedoms” of LGBTI people.
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Law still needs to be approved by president
According to parliamentarians, the law was drafted after Ghana’s first LGBTI center opened in the capital in 2021. After protests, the center was closed by the police.
The law still needs to be approved by President Nana Akufo-Addo. He has previously indicated that he will sign the law if a majority of Ghanaians want it. A coalition of Christian, Muslim and conservative Ghanaian leaders previously expressed their support.
Ghana is not the only African country to pass anti-gay legislation. Last year, Uganda passed one of the strictest anti-gay laws in the world. For example, HIV patients can receive the death penalty if they have sex with someone of the same sex.
Image: ANP
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2024-02-28 20:46:42
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