We don’t have a position on the passage of anti-gay bill — Peace Council
Rev. Dr. Eric Adu-Gyamfi, the Chairman of the National Peace Council, has affirmed that the organization operates as a mediator and upholds impartiality about the anti-LGBTQ+ bill.
He underscored that the National Peace Council has not taken a stance on the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, underscoring the significance of the group maintaining a neutral position.
Rev. Dr. Adu-Gyamfi noted that various stakeholders have engaged with the council on the issue, but the organization remains steadfast in its commitment to neutrality.
Speaking on TV3, Dr. Adu-Gyamfi said “We [National Peace Council] 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 realized it was important to remain neutral when they later came for conflict resolution. We are waiting to see how things will unfold, so we know whether to mediate or intervene in the event of a conflict.
The recently approved Promotion of Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, commonly known as the anti-LGBTQ+ bill, passed through various stages in the Ghanaian Parliament.
The legislation categorizes engaging in “unnatural carnal knowledge” as a misdemeanor, carrying a maximum imprisonment term of three years.
However, some Ghanaians have added their voice to the bill calling on Parliament to reconsider it.
Professor Audrey Gadzekpo, Board Chair of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD Ghana), has conveyed her disappointment regarding Parliament’s approval of the anti-gay bill.
She remained optimistic that a future government might repeal the bill if the President assents to it.
During a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, after the passage of the bill, she likened the bill to a reintroduction of the criminal libel law.
Source: PulseGhana
