Ghana’s Supreme Court has upheld a six-decade-old law criminalizing gay sex, amidst pending decisions on potentially harsher penalties. The seven-member panel dismissed the lawsuit challenging the law, initiated by law lecturer Prince Obiri-Korang in 2021, who argued that it violates privacy rights as enshrined in the Ghanaian constitution. While dismissing the lawsuit, the presiding Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie stated that the reasons for the decision will be provided later. The 1960 Ghanaian Criminal Code prohibits same-sex sexual acts, labeling them as “unnatural carnal knowledge” and punishable by up to three years in prison. This sentence could be increased if the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, passed in February, is enacted. The bill will lead to an intensive government crackdown on those promoting LGBTQ+ identities. Earlier this month, the court postponed ruling on the bill’s transmission to President Nana Akufo-Addo for approval, pending its constitutional assessment.
SOURCE: REUTERS
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