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According to the think tank, the accused persons did not break any law by gathering at a hotel hence their prosecution is averse with law.
In a statement, the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) is appalled at how the Courts and the State have handled this matter and have allowed these young Ghanaians to be incarcerated for 19 days and counting.
“First, it is clear that gathering to educate people at a hotel venue on LGBT+ issues is not a criminal act or crime under the Constitution or any statute. At the time of their arrest, the arrestees were not engaged in or found to have engaged in any unlawful act or in possession of any unlawful or prohibited items.”
“Their arrest and subsequent mistreatment are, therefore, a clear violation of their constitutional right to freedom of assembly and association,” the statement said.
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Executive Director of Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh
The statement added that in a democratic dispensation where the rights of all persons, including social minorities, are guaranteed under the Constitution, targeting and singling out LGBT+ persons just because they chose to associate and not for criminal purposes is uncalled for.
The Association further called on the Attorney-General and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to intercede in the matter in order to put an end to the “needless continuing harassment and violation of the constitutional rights of these 21 compatriots”.
On 22nd May 2021, the 21 LGBT+ activists were arrested at a hotel in Godokpui in Ho after the Volta Regional Police Command picked information from their meeting aimed at advocating and promoting the rights of LGBTs in Ghana.