We will sue if Akufo-Addo assents anti-LGBT+ Bill into law – Prof Manuh

Renowned Ghanaian human rights activist and member of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Emerita Prof. Takyiwaa Manuh, has threatened legal action against the Government of Ghana should the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill (anti-gay bill) be passed into law by way of presidential assent.

According to Emerita Prof. Manuh, the group has impressed on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo not to assent to the bill because it would only oppress Ghanaians.

She said that the bill if passed into law would not only infringe on the rights of the citizenry but also destroy Ghana’s reputation in the eye of the international community.

The academic, who made these remarks in an interview with GhanaWeb on Thursday, February 29, 2024, added that if the government goes ahead to approve the anti-gay bill into law, her group would turn to the courts for justice.

“We have asked the president not to assent to this bill because it does not advance the rights of anybody in Ghana. And it actually makes Ghana’s reputation as a democratic, law-abiding society worse.

“I don’t know if you have seen the avalanche of news reports on Ghana, today, on major papers and channels around the world, the disappointment that has been expressed, the public health issues that arise from all of this and the fear and panic in the LGBT community who are alive and well in Ghana,” she said.

Prof Manuh added, “If the president assent to the bill, we would go to court. The constitution is the final law of this land; no law can be inconsistent with the constitution”.

About the passage of the anti-gay bill:

The Parliament of Ghana on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, passed the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, widely known as the anti-LGBT+ bill.

The bill, currently awaiting presidential assent, proscribes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activities and criminalizes their promotion, advocacy, and funding.

Persons caught in these acts will be subjected to a six-month to three-year jail term, with promoters and sponsors facing a three to five-year jail term.

The bill will now require presidential assent to come into force within 7 days.

However, if President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo refuses to assent to the bill, parliament by a 2/3 majority vote can approve it into law.

Listen to Prof. Takyiwaa Manuh's remarks in the audio slide below:



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