Days afta di parliament of Ghana don pass di anti-LGBTQ bill, plenti pipo don react to di mata.
Di new bill, if di president of di kontri sign am into law, go jail lgbtq pipo up to three years.
Wey pipo wey advertise, promote and sponsor LGBTQ activities go go jail up to five years.
Kwame Narh (no be im real name), tok BBC News say im wan leave di kontri afta parliament pass di bill.
Alreadi, im suffer discrimination sake of im sexuality.
“I don lose my job sometime ago because my boss say im no like gay pesin for im work.”
“Na so she tok me say di Bible dey against lgbtq wia im no fit continue work wit me,” Kwame Narh explain.
Josh Tinder (also no be im real name) na anoda LGBTQ pesin.
Josh don tok BBC News how im family pursue am for house when dem find say im be gay.
“Dem don attack me plenty times sake of my sexuality. My family serf attack me wia I run leave di house for sometime.”
Today, Josh Tinder say im for dey careful as Ghana pipo don begin dey write hate speech against di lgbtq community especially for social media.
“Now I for count my steps wia i for look ova my shoulder to ensure say I no go offend anybody.”
Im tok say “I for live like refugee for my own kontri.”
Kwame Narh also tok say im dey fear say pipo for im neighbourhood serf go fit report am to di police.
“I dey worried say anybody fit report me for my neighbourhood. Any pesin fit snitch for my top,” Kwame tok.
Kwame and Josh be only two of plenti pipo wia dey di LGBTQ community for Ghana wey dey anxious about dis law.
Wetin go happun if di president sign di bill into law?
Afta parliament don pass di bill, wia eight MPs don sponsor, di present for sign am bifor e go become law.
Di Ghana constitution tok say di president get seven days wey im for take assent to di bill.
But if im decide say im no go sign am, im get anoda fourteen days wey im for write memo to parliament to explain wetin be di reason why im no fit assent to di bill.
Bifor dat, di board chair of di center for democratic development (CDD), Professor Audrey Gadzekpo don tok say make di president neva sign dis bill.
Prof Gadzekpo wey also dey part of di coalition against di anti-gay bill, bin tok for press conference say “di bill don dey undermine di fundamental human right wey don dey di constitution.”
“Dis include di rights of dignity, freedom of speech and association, academic freedom, equality and non-discrimination.”
“We go go Supreme Court to challenge dis regressive bill if di president sign am into law,” im conclude.
Na so oga for di commission for human rights and administrative justice (CHRAJ) also tok say im go join di court action.
Joseph Whittal tok say plenti provision of dis anti-gay bill dey against di kontri constitution.
“We be human rights group, so anytin wey go affect pipo dia rights, we dey interested.”
Im add say CHRAJ no go mind say dem go take di lead to pursue di mata for di Supreme Court.
Despite dis reaction, di sponsors of di anti-lgbtq bill tok say dem make ready to meet di lgbtq advocates for court.
International community don condemn di passage of dis law
Di UN high commissioner for human rights, Volker Türk don tok say di passage of di bill dey “profoundly disturbing”.
“I don dey urge Ghana goment neva to make dis bill into law sake of e dey contrary to Ghana im constitution and international human rights.”
Volker Türk add say dis law go “legitimize prejudice, expose pipo to hate crime, police abuse, harassment, blackmail and torture.”
For oga for UNAIDS, Winnie Byanyima, if di bill don turn law, e go affect everibodi.
“Dis law go increase fear and hatred wey e go incite violence against fellow ghana citizens.”
Di law go also “obstruct access to life-saving services and affect di kontri development.”
UNAIDS tok say evidence don dey show say “laws wey dey punish pipo like dis bill, dey cause barrier to ending AIDS, wia im go undermine everibidi im health.”
Apart from dis two agencies, di US embassy for Ghana don tok say dis na sad development for di kontri.
For one tweet, US ambassador Virginia Palmer tok say di law go damage Ghana im international reputation and di economy.
“I don dey sad sake of some of di smart, creative and decent pipo I know be lgbt. Dis bill go take away dia rights wia e go affect odas dia freedom of speech, assembly and press freedom.”
Ghana don dey under IMF bailout.
Di fund don alreadi disburse $1.2bn out of di $3bn facility dem approve for di kobtri to deal wit dia economic wahala.
Di IMF react to passage of di anti-LGBTQ bill
For one statement, IMF tok say dem dey committed to diversity and inclusion.
Di moni lender add say dia “internal policy dey against discrimination wey dey base on personal characteristics like gender, sexual orientation and gender expression.”
Di IMF tok say na “diverse and inclusive economies for di world wey dey flourish.”
Dem add say dem dey observe di situation for di kontri wia dem go release di financial and economic implication if goment pass di bill into law.
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