Ghanaian flag (Public domain photo from Pixabay)
The Ghanaian Supreme Court on July 24 upheld a law that criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual relations.
Media reports indicate a 7-judge panel unanimously dismissed a challenge to the colonial-era law that Prince Obiri-Korang, a professor at the University of Ghana Law School, filed.
“What most Ghanaians don’t know is that this law of ‘unnatural carnal knowledge’ doesn’t have a sexual orientation on it, even though used against gays,” said Rightify Ghana, a Ghanaian advocacy group, on X. “Whether the person is gay or straight, unnatural carnal knowledge means it is illegal to have anal sex or oral sex/blowjob/BJ.”
Liz Throssell, a spokesperson for the U.N. Human Rights Office in Geneva, on Friday issued a statement that also criticized the ruling.
“We deeply regret the decision by the Supreme Court of Ghana to uphold colonial-era provisions of the Criminal Offenses Act that effectively criminalize consensual same-sex relations,” reads the statement. “The court’s ruling on 24 July is especially concerning given reports of a recent spike in violence against LGBTQ+ people in Ghana.”
Ghana is among the African countries in which consensual same-sex sexual relations remain criminalized.
Burkina Faso’s military government earlier this month announced it plans to criminalize homosexuality in the country that borders Ghana. The Namibian government on July 20 appealed a ruling that struck down the country’s apartheid-era sodomy law.
Ghanaian lawmakers on Feb. 28 approved the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill that would, among other things, criminalize allyship. Advocacy groups in Ghana and around the world, along with the State Department and U.S. Ambassador to Ghana Virginia Palmer have sharply criticized the measure.
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo has said he will not sign the bill until the Supreme Court rules on whether it is constitutional or not.
The U.N. Human Rights Office in Friday’s statement notes “the ongoing legal challenges to the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill.” It also highlights U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has criticized the measure.
“We urge Ghana to uphold its obligations under international human rights law, including in the human rights treaties it has ratified, and to ensure that all people living in Ghana, without exception, are able to live free from violence, stigma, and discrimination,” reads the statement.
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