Reuters reports that a court in Ghana has dismissed the case against the 21 LGBTQ+ activists arrested in May on charges of “unlawful assembly”. The 16 women and five men were attending a paralegal training session conducted by Rightify Ghana, a human rights organization, when the police arrived at the venue and rounded them up. The Police Force claimed that the event promoted homosexuality, making it an unlawful gathering. The 21 activists were released on bail by the country’s High Court in June after more than three weeks of detention.
The court announced the ruling last Thursday, claiming a lack of sufficient evidence that proves that the 21 persons had gathered unlawfully.
“What this means is that they cannot be brought back to court on the same charges. So they have been freed,” Chief Superintendent Akologo Yakubu Ayamga told Reuters.
This is not the end, however. Ghana’s Parliament is still working hard to sign an Anti-LGBT bill into law. LGBTQ+ persons in Ghana still face targeted harassment and persecution by state and non-state actors.
The lawyer representing the 21 accused, Julia Averty, was pleased with the outcome. “We welcome the decision and that has always been our argument from the beginning of this case,” Averty tells Reuters. “…it has been a rough journey since May, but, thankfully, the law has spoken.”
