21 arrested for ‘advocating LGBTQ activities’ in Ghana
The 16 women and five men were arrested last week in the city of Ho
Words: Jamie Tabberer; picture: Pexels (posed by model)
LGBTQ human rights groups have condemned the arrest of 21 people in Ghana for “unlawful assembly” and promoting an LGBTQ agenda.
The arrests reportedly took place in the city of Ho in Ghana’s Volta region late last week.
Human rights group Rightfy Ghana has claimed that the arrests are illegal and that the arrested – 16 women and five men – have been denied access to lawyers.
Same-sex sex is illegal in Ghana and carries a penalty of up to three years in prison, although the law is rarely enforced. The country has nevertheless seen an uptick in homophobia and transphobia this year, including the recent closure of an LGBTQ centre in the country’s capital city, Accra.
“#ReleaseThe21”
“The press teamed up with the police to storm the meeting location, started taking images, took their belongings and arrested them,” Rightify Ghana said in a post on Twitter.
“We are calling on the Ghana Police Service to #ReleaseThe21.”
Alex Kofi Donkor, founder and director of LGBT+ Rights Ghana, told The Guardian: “The [event] was to train them on paralegal services for vulnerable groups – how we can document issues of abuse, and how best these trained paralegals can provide support.
“There is no law preventing advocates or LGBTQ+ people from existing or gathering. It’s a constitutional right.”
Donker called a subsequent police statement calling for the public to come forward with information around LGBTQ activities a “witch-hunt.”
The detainees will appear before a court on 4 June, reports Reuters. The publication cites a police statement alleging the 21 met at a hotel to with books and flyers with titles including “coming out” and “all about trans.”
“It is unacceptable to us that you feel unsafe”
In February, actor Idris Elba, supermodel Naomi Campbell, and UK Vogue editor Edward Enniful signed an open letter in solidarity with LGBTQs in Ghana.
The letter stated: “We have watched with profound concern as you have had to question the safety of your vital work at the LGBT+ Rights Ghana Centre in Accra, and feared for your personal wellbeing and security.
“It is unacceptable to us that you feel unsafe.”
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