Amnesty International condemns closure of LGBT+ Accra office

Amnesty International has condemned the police for raiding and closing down pro-LGBTQI group office in Accra.

It describes it as ‘an invasion of the safe space’ for LGBT Rights Ghana.

On Wednesday, the police raided and closed down the recently opened office of a pro-LGBTQI group at Ashongman in Accra.

Prior to the closure, there had been an uproar by a cross-section of Religious, traditional, and professional groups calling for its closure.

The Catholic Bishop Conference in a statement urged the government to reiterate its position on homosexuality.

“We call upon the President and Parliament to state unambiguously their position on the matter of homosexuality and its practice in Ghana. We also call on the Government of Ghana to close down the LGBTQI office space that was recently opened in Accra,” part of the statement read.

Also, anti-gay rights advocates, National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights, and Family Values believe allowing such activity contradicts the country’s laws regarding unnatural carnal knowledge as its basis.

But, acting Country Director of Amnesty International, Frank Doyi says the manner in which the police went about the closure exhibits a clear violation of the country’s laws.

“The circumstance under which the facility was invaded is what we consider to be a clear violation of the very laws that we all seek to uphold.”

He said although Amnesty International does not condone criminal acts, the action of the security agencies raises serious concerns if members were not using the facility for illegal acts.

“The question we like to ask again is whether or not the individuals who were found in that particular facility were seen engaging in any act, if they were not then clearly it’s an issue of the security agencies engaging in an act that is not supported by our laws.”

“When the rights of individuals are clearly violated, then that becomes a serious issue of concern,” he said.