Ghana Supreme court dismiss cases wey dey delay signing of controversial anti-LGBTQ bill

Ghana Supreme court don throway two suits wey dey challenge di legality of di kontri human sexual and family values bill aka anti-lgbtq bill, wey di dem pass for parliament for February dis year.

One journalist Richard Sky and anoda researcher Dr Amanda Odoi don file suit for di court say make dem stop Ghana president Nana Akufo-Addo from signing di bill into law.

Oga Sky argue say di bill dey violate di kontris constitution wey tok say pipo get dia rights and freedoms wey di law gatz protect dis rights.

Im also ask di court to declare say wetin di speaker of parliament bin do as im allow parliament to pass di bill, na illegal sake of dem no follow right process to pass di law wey get financial implication on top di kontris consolidated fund.

Di apex court seven-member panel don dismiss im suit togeda wit anoda one wey human rights researcher Dr Amanda Odoi bin file for di same court.

President of di panel Avril Lovelace-Johnson tok say Dr Odoi im writ neva "properly invoke di jurisdiction of di apex court."

Di ogbonge human rights advocate and researcher don ask di court say make e stop di kontri parliament say make e no transmit di bill to di president for assent sake of di constitutional violations.

Lawyers for di two applicants don tok say dem go wait for di full reasoning of di supreme court decision wey go be available on Friday bifor dem go take further steps.

"We don disappoint well well wit dis decision of di court; however, we go take action as soon as we bin get di full reasoning of di apex court," Professor Takyiwaa Manuh one of Dr Odoi im legal representatives don tok journalists.

"We don dey disappointed, we neva take di decision to come to court lightly, we believe say di rights of pipo gat to dey protected; di constitution bin give rules about how to deal wit private member bills for parliament wey we believe day dem no do di right tin for dis case," Professor Takyiwaa Manuh explain.

Wetin go happun now

Wit di legal suits out of di way, di president gatz sign am into law in seven days.

But sabi pipo say if di president no sign am, parliament fit to pass am into law by two-thirds majority vote.

Pipo dey watch to see if di outgoing president go sign di bill into law wi only 18 days bifor im term of office go end afta im tok in March say im no fit take action on di bill sake of di court cases.

If im no sign di bill, im gat to carry go back to parliament and tok dem di wahala im get wit di bill make dem fix am bifor di parliament also go expire by midnight of 6 January 2025, odawise di next parliament wey go dey in force on 7 January go start di whole process to make dis anti-lgbtq law all ova again.

How di anti-LGBTQ law go work

For dis new human rights and sexual values bill 2024, pesin wey don engage for LGBTQ activities go fit go jail for between six months and three years.

Na so pesin wey advertise and promote LGBT activities go enta jail for up to ten years.

Dis advert or promotion go fit be through technology, social media or traditional media.

Also pesin wey sponsor LGBT activities go dey against di law.

Dis dey attract fine of not less dan 750 penalty units (9,000 Ghana cedis, $720) or not more dan 5,000 penalty units wey be (60,000 Ghana cedis, $4,800).

One clause for di law also dey criminalize physical attack on pipo wey dey involve in LGBT activities.

Anoda clause for di law prohibit formation of LGBT groups.

For pesin wey wan do gender reassignment through surgery, na crime for dis new law.

Such pipo also neva go fit adopt pikin for any facility or social welfare agency.

Wetin Ghana president-elect tok

President-elect for Ghana John Mahama bifor di election bin tok di BBC say im goment go sign di bill into law, but e go depend on wetin dey inside di bill.

Oga John Mahama explain say even tho lgbtq activities neva dey gree wit di culture, values and religious beliefs of di kontri, dem gat to sabi wetin di law dey tok well well bifor e go become law.

Im add say if dem enta di law and find say sometins dey wia no good, dem for carry go back to parliament make dem correct am.

"Na parliament wia approve am unanimously, but I tink we gat to chook eye for dis bill, di current president gat to tok wetin im dey see wrong wit di bill and send am back to parliament make dem fix am or di oda tin be say im gat to carry go di council of state make dem give dia advice."

Di BBC reporter don ask di opposition candidate at di time if dat be wetin im go do if im na president, Mahama tok say "na so I go do am."