Professor John Osei Bobie Boahene, a political science activist, has asked the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to suspend the implementation of the anti-LGBTQI+ bill.
This comment comes after Ghana’s Parliament on Wednesday February 28, 2024 passed the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values, 21 bill also known as the anti-LGBTQI+ bill.
The Bill seeks to unequivocally criminalise LGBTQI+ activities.
Persons caught in the act would be subjected to 6 months to 3 year jail term with promoters and sponsors of the act bearing a 3 to 5 year jail term.
The bill also proposes that a person who, by use of media, technological platform, technological account or any other means, produces, procures, markets, broadcasts, disseminates, publishes or distributes a material for purposes of promoting an activity prohibited under the Bill, or a person uses an electronic device, the Internet service, a film, or any other device capable of electronic storage or transmission to produce, procure, market, broadcast, disseminate, publishes or distribute a material for purposes of promoting an activity prohibited under the Bill, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than five years and not more than ten years.
After the passage of the bill, Civil Society organizations including CDD, Big 18 and the Human Rights Coalition have since called on the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo not to assent to the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2021.
US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Evelyn Palmer, says the bill takes away not only their basic human rights but those of all Ghanaians because it undermines their constitutional rights to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of the press
Speaking on Atinka FM’s AM Drive with host Nana Fianko, Professor John Osei Bobie Boahene said left for him alone, the President should suspend the implementation of the Bill.
Citing the current economic crisis as reasons, Professor John Osei Bobie Boahene noted that the fact that Ghana has gone to IMF and the fact that we are in an election year is enough o withhold implementing the bill.
“Considering the hard times we are in now, I will ask the President to suspend the implementation of the Bill. I do not support the LGBTQI+ community in any way but we are the ones we have gone to IMF among others. We should let things settle before we make a move on this bill,” Professor John Osei Bobie Boahene added.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu
