Ghana's parliament on February 21 moved a step closer to holding a vote on a bill that seeks to further clamp down on the rights of LGBT people, rejecting a proposal that would have seen jail terms for gay sex replaced with non-custodial sentences such as counselling.
A coalition of Christian, Muslim, and Ghanaian traditional leaders have sponsored the legislation, which is favored by most lawmakers. It would punish the promotion of rights of those who are lesbian, gay, or other non-conventional sexual or gender identities with up to 10 years in prison.
Gay sex is already punishable in the West African country by up to three years in prison and that would rise to five years under the bill. The bill, one of the harshest of its kind in Africa, will now be fine-tuned for a vote in parliament. If approved, it would require presidential assent to come into force. President Nana Akufo-Addo has not confirmed if he would sign the bill into law.
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