Ho Court Grants Bail To 21 LGBTQI Activists
The 21 alleged LGBTQI activists arrested on 21st May 2021 for an unlawful meeting to champion the LGBTQI movement in the Volta Region, have been granted bail by the Ho High Court 2, presided over by His Lordship, Justice Yaw Owoahene-Acheampong.
The accused persons, who were said to have been arrested at a conference in the Ho Municipality, were charged for unlawful assembly.
Lawyers for the accused persons proceeded to the High Court again to file a bail application after an earlier request was declined by the court.
The Court, however, granted the application on Friday morning, granting the bail in the sum of GHC5,000 for each applicant with one surety each.
The substantive case would, however, be heard at a later date.
The suspects are made up of 16 women and 5 men between the ages of 20-35.
Some items retrieved from the accused persons included an LGBTQI+ Muslim, a book used during their gathering, and their mobile phones, which are in the custody of the police for further investigations.
According to the police, the program was sponsored by some organizations championing the activities of LGBTQI in Ghana and elsewhere.
LGBTQI rights in Ghana
Some persons have called for a specific law in Ghana to make homosexuality a criminal offence.
Although there are some provisions in the Criminal Code under which a homosexual can be prosecuted, especially for having intercourse with a partner, the belief is that a specific law must be enacted to declare homosexual relationships illegal.
Others have also called for a review of Ghana’s laws to be more accommodating of minority groups as many countries are decriminalizing homosexuality.
In February 2020 for instance, the then Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Prof. Mike Oquaye, warned the World Bank against homosexuality conditions in development assistance to Ghana.
Homosexuality won’t be legalized under Nana Addo – Presidency
In April 2018, the government rejected claims that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had approved same-sex marriages in Ghana.
According to a statement from the presidency, President Akufo-Addo will not legalise such a relationship in Ghana.
“Indeed, the President remains focused on delivering on his mandate and improving the quality of lives of the Ghanaian people. It will NOT be under his Presidency that same-sex marriage will be legalised in Ghana,” the statement signed by the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin added.
The statement was a response to some claims allegedly made by the General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Asiedu Nketiah who reportedly told NDC members in Kumasi that “Nana Addo says men will marry men, and women will marry women.”