Saturday, 21 December

We're neutral on anti-LGBTQI bill approval – Peace Council

News
Rev Dr Eric Adu-Gyamfi

The National Peace Council says as mediators, they have no position on the recently-approved anti-LGBTQI bill by parliament.

The Council's Chairman, Rev Dr Eric Adu-Gyamfi, said: “We don’t have a position on the passage of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill because we are mediators, we don’t take sides on issues like this."

"There are several issues that have come to us that people expected us to take sides, but realised it was important to remain neutral when they later came for conflict resolution," he told TV3.

"We are waiting to see how things will unfold, so we know whether to mediate or intervene in the event of a conflict,” he added.

Ghana's legislature approved the bill on Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, widely known as the anti-LGBTQ bill last week, criminalising LGBT activities and prohibiting their promotion, advocacy, and funding.

Under the bill, individuals engaged in such activities face a jail term ranging from six months to three years, while promoters and sponsors could be sentenced to three to five years.

Prior to its passage, sponsors of the bill initiated a motion for further consideration, with lead sponsor Samuel Nartey George proposing amendments to clauses 10 and 11 concerning editorial policies of media firms, aligning them with Article 12 of the 1992 constitution, which guarantees freedom of the media.

The House approved these amendments.

However, a motion filed by Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin to subject clause 12, addressing the funding of LGBT activities, to the constitution was rejected by the House.

Source: classfmonline.com