GHANA Parliament to Hear Amendments at Consideration Stage for New Anti Homosexuality Law
By Melanie Nathan, Nov 07, 2023, Nov 08, 2023 10.30 AM est
UPDATED: When I went back to the Ghana Parliament website tonight at 7.30 PM EST, The NOV 8th Order Paper was no longer up on the Parliamentary website. Upon return to the site, the Order paper was back up. The Amendments end at PAR. 17.
My earlier Report.
The November 08, 2023, Order Papers for this current session of the Ghanaian Parliament includes proposed amendments for the new Ghanaian anti-homosexuality law titled The Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill of 2021.
The new harsh and highly enhanced punitive law has already had several readings before Parliament where its continued trajectory has received unanimous votes from the 275 seat Parliament.
If these amendments are adopted the Bill could be propelled for enactment through legislative voting and the President's signature.
As this only just appeared on the Order paper I have not had time to analyze the proposed amendments. So please stay tuned for updates to this page/ website. Currently Ghana's LGBTQI+ community is fleeing the country in droves, seeking asylum or protection in second countries, as this law , as it currently stands, will criminalize simply "holding out" that one is LGBTQI (notable the acronym they use is subject to change and quire robust).
I am attaching the proposed amendments herein.
African Human Rights Coalition and in my capacity as a country conditions expert witness in the U.S> for LGBTQI+ asylum seekers from Ghana, I provided the Ghanaian Parliamentary Affairs Committee with an opposition to the legislation from the perspective of what American Immigration Courts are hearing from Asylums seekers with regard to violent persecution of LGBTI people in Ghana. We included that the old penal code law and this proposed new law serves to license violence and persecution, by state and. non-state actors. We opined that this new law will see an uptick in violence and need for Ghanaians to flee their own country under. The new law is clearly unconstitutional and impinges upon international instruments.
General cryptic analysis of the proposed amendments up to Par 17 - the rest I could not assess because it has been removed from the website:
Taking out the word Queer.
Changing LGBTTQQIAAP to LGBTTAP
Adding Bisexuality instead of Pansexuality
Changing a felony to misdemeanor in one clause
Altering where ever it says ten year sentences to 5 years
And Five year sentences to not more than three year sentences.
Taking out the paragraph that criminalizes media
Adding a reference to being subject on one instance to the Constitution
Deleting Intersex from criminalization EXPERT WITNESS FOR LGBTI ASYLUM SEEKERS - HERE
Commentaires