In a move that has drawn censure from foreign human rights groups, Ghanaian security forces closed down the office of a well-known LGBTQ rights group situated in Accra after politicians, media personalities, and religious leaders spoke against the facility.
The facility released a statement via its Twitter feed that its office was ransacked by national security. Gay sex is considered a crime in Ghana and members of the LGBTQ+ community face widespread condemnation.
Foreign ambassadors were criticized for supporting the facility
Members from the European Union that attended the opening of the center were criticized by the Ghanaian government. The tweet they sent out during the ceremony has also attracted censure from Ghanaians.
Alex Donkor, the center's group director, said in an interview that the Ghanian government infringed on their human rights.
“Ghana is a free country, and we expect the president and the security agencies to rather protect us instead of threatening us,” Donkor said.
Donkor added that members of the group currently have no access to the facility and that members of the group have been threatened. He also pointed out that Ghana's security agents refused to act even when they were threatened by religious figures.
The owner of the center's building was responsible for reporting the group to the Ghanian authorities
During an interview with journalists, the owner of the building said he reported the group because he was displeased with the activities of the group.
He added he was unhappy when he found out the building was rented by an LGBTQ+ group, and that he refuses to encourage such behavior on his property.
Sarah Adwoa Safo, a Ghanian minister, supported the action adding that “the issue of the criminality of LGBT is non-negotiable and our cultural practices also frown on it”.
Members of the LGBTQ+ community in Ghana are on the run from the government. Although homosexuality isn't a criminal offense, people caught "practicing gay sex" can be sent to prison for 25 years.