Hundreds of Ghanaians yesterday staged a peaceful demonstration in Accra to register their displeasure with the delay in deciding court cases brought against the presidential assent of the Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.
The bill passed by parliament on February 28, this year, seeks to prohibit Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer + (LGBTQ+) activities, and criminalises their promotion, advocacy, and funding in the country.
Under the bill, individuals engaged in such activities could face imprisonment ranging from six months to three years, while promoters and sponsors of such acts could be sentenced to three to five years in jail.
The three-hour protest led by the Member of Parliament (MP) of Ningo-Prampram Constituency, Mr Samuel Nartey George, began at 10 am at the Obra Spot and continued to the streets of Adabraka and North Ridge and ended at the Supreme Court premises where petition was presented to the Registrar of the Supreme Court, Justice Ellen who represented the Chief Justice (CJ), Justice Gertrude Torkornoo.
Clad in black and red attire, the protestors carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “Marriage is between Adam and Eve, Hawa and Adam, not Adam and Steve or Hawa and Mariam”, “You were not produced out of homosexuality”, “The people demand action”, and “Every day of delay is an injustice.”
Dozens of anti-riot police were at hand to ensure law and order.
Speaking to journalists after the protest, Mr Sam George referred to the Supreme Court ruling of July 7, this year where a five-member panel deferred ruling on two cases brought before it.
He said the apex court stated that it would incorporate its ruling on these cases into its final judgment and assured the public that it would work expeditiously to hear and rule on these matters in a timely manner.
“Unfortunately, over 10 weeks later, there is no indication of any schedule or actions to execute an early trial that will protect our rights as citizens to timely and efficient justice delivery, in this instance,” he said.
The MP urged the CJ to heed to the opinion of the citizenry and speed up judgment on cases on the anti-LGBTQ that were in court.
“As a Ghanaian tax payer, the Chief Justice should bear in mind that she works for the citizenry. She must give us a timeline and timetable and let us know when they are hearing the case,” he said.
According to him, further delays on the judgment on cases against the anti-LGBTQ bill were undermining the legislative process of the country, adding that the CJ had the authority to expedite the case if deemed necessary.
Noting the Chief Justice’s authority, he emphasised that she had the power to demand timely filings from all parties, requiring a statement of claim within 14 days as stipulated in the rules of procedure.
“It’s about Ghana and is not about NPP or NDC, but it’s about morality and the importance of maintaining effective culture,” he said.
For her part, Justice Offei assured that the Supreme Court was ready to expedite hearings on all the anti-gay cases before it.
“The Supreme Court is ready to hear every matter where parties have complied with the rules of the court directing the processes to be filed before a hearing is held,” she said.
BY AGNES OWUSU
