Accra, Ghana – July 24th, 2024 – Ghana’s Supreme Court upheld a 1960 law criminalizing same-sex sexual acts. The decision comes as the nation awaits a separate ruling on a new bill proposing harsher penalties for LGBTQ+ individuals.
The seven-member panel, led by Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, dismissed a lawsuit challenging the existing law. The court will disclose its reasoning for the decision at a later date.
The 1960 Criminal Code considers same-sex intimacy as “unnatural carnal knowledge,” punishable by up to three years in prison. However, a recently passed bill, the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, proposes significantly harsher penalties. Additionally, the bill aims to crack down on individuals promoting LGBTQ+ identities.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court postponed judgment on whether to approve the new bill for presidential action. This delay prioritizes determining the bill’s constitutionality. The lawsuit challenging the 1960 law was filed in 2021 by law lecturer Prince Obiri-Korang, who argued the law infringes upon the right to privacy enshrined in Ghana’s constitution.
