Ghana's anti-LGBTQ+ bill to be scrutinised before approval, president says

Ghana's caller measure criminalising LGBTQ+ activities volition acquisition scrutiny earlier it is officially approved, the president has said.

Speaking during a sojourn to the UK, John Mahama said his ineligible assembly and lawyer wide would "sit connected it due to the fact that it was a backstage members' motion... [and] not a authorities bill".

"We volition look astatine it and marque definite that everything is successful order," Mahama said, adding that the measure would beryllium referred to the Council of State - his advisors - if determination were immoderate problems.

Since coming into powerfulness past year, Mahama has been pressured by spiritual leaders to fortify anti-gay measures, which prohibition same-sex relationships nether laws dating from the British assemblage era.

Discussing the measure during a question and reply league successful London connected Monday, Mahama besides said determination were immoderate procedural lapses successful its passage, which are being addressed by the Speaker of parliament.

It is the 2nd clip specified authorities has been backed by MPs.

A akin measure was archetypal introduced to parliament successful August 2021 aft an LGBTQ+ resources centre was unopen down successful the capital, Accra.

Mahama's predecessor, erstwhile President Nana Akufo-Addo, failed to springiness his assent to that mentation of the measure earlier leaving bureau past year.

When it passed successful 2024, it was challenged by aggregate lawsuits astatine the Supreme Court, which Akufo-Addo utilized arsenic a crushed for not approving it.

The measure was reintroduced successful parliament this twelvemonth by a cross-party radical of MPs.

Parliamentary members of Ghana's number enactment said they preferred the mentation of the measure passed successful 2024, claiming that amendments to the existent authorities person watered it down.

''The measure appears, and not lone appears, substantially has mislaid the unit and the wound and the thrust, the deterrence, the efficacy that it contained and carried successful 2024," number spokesperson John Ntim Forjour explained.

The existent mentation exempts punishment for legal, healthcare and media professionals who supply aesculapian attraction and different services for cheery people, oregon study connected LGBTQ+ news.

Meanwhile, anyone who identifies arsenic an "ally" - a protagonist of LGBTQ+ radical - could look a situation sentence.

Both forms of the authorities person been wide criticised by rights groups for infringing connected the rights of intersexual minorities.

Human Rights Watch recommended the measure beryllium abandoned successful a ceremonial submission to the law and ineligible affairs committee scrutinising the authorities successful the capital, Accra.

But advocates of the measure reason it volition assistance sphere Ghanaian household values.

Several African countries person cracked down connected LGBTQ+ rights successful caller years.

Uganda introduced a decease punishment for definite same-sex acts successful 2023.