Ghana Parliament backs tougher jail terms for gays

July 6 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Ghana’s Parliament has given its backing to a proposal to amend the law against homosexuality that would increase the sentences for people who identify as members of the LGTBI community to three years and to ten years for those who defend the rights of these people.

The proposal has received support from a group made up of several parties, although for the moment it still has to go through several procedures before becoming law. Parliamentarian John Ntim Forjour has defended that the project “represents the wishes of the Ghanaians.”

“The project has received unanimous and bipartisan approval at the committee level and there is no disagreement regarding the positions,” he stated, before confirming that there will be “a second reading” to guarantee that “the law is a true reflection of what the good people of Ghana stand for.

In this sense, Fordjour has reported that “a survey” on the proposal “indicates that a significant 86 percent of the population of this country supports the proposal, so it is an advantageous situation for the population of Ghana and Ghanaian society.”

“It is not a religious law. It is not merely a matter of morality, but is the product of an intellectual consultation and no part of the project violates the Constitution or any international treaty or universal declaration of Human Rights,” it has settled, as reported by the Ghanaian radio station Citi FM.

However, the proposal has been criticized by national and international civil organizations for violating the rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Several countries on the continent have recently opted to toughen penalties for homosexual acts.