A private legal practitioner, Richard Dela Sky, has provided insight into his legal challenge against the recent enactment of the anti-LGBTQ+ bill by parliament.
On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, Sky’s legal team filed an application with the Supreme Court, seeking a declaration that the Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, popularly known as the anti-gay bill, is null and void.
Mr Sky contends that the bill’s passage violates Article 33(5) of the 1992 Constitution, along with Articles 12(1) and (2), 15(1), 17(1) and (2), 18(2), and 21(1) (a) (b) (d) and (e). He asserts that the bill’s provisions “raise profound concerns regarding the potential infringement of the fundamental human rights and freedoms guaranteed to every Ghanaian by the Constitution.”
Mr Sky clarified that his legal action is not based on his personal views on LGBTQI+ individuals. Instead, it aims to uphold the Constitution and protect the fundamental human rights enshrined within it.
In a statement dated March 5, 2024, Richard Dela Sky said, “In my capacity as a citizen of the Republic of Ghana, deeply committed to the principles of democracy and the rule of law as enshrined in our revered 1992 Constitution, I have initiated legal action in the Supreme Court of Ghana. This action is not a declaration of my personal stance on LGBTQI+ individuals per se, but a conscientious effort to ensure the strict adherence to and protection of the constitutional framework that governs our society.”
He therefore called on Ghanaians to support this cause to uphold the integrity of the constitution.
“This emerging think tank is, among other things, dedicated to protecting and defending the Constitution of Ghana and the rights enshrined therein. We aim to foster a robust constitutional culture in Ghana, empowering every citizen to uphold and defend the principles that safeguard our collective freedoms and dignity.
I call upon all Ghanaians to view this legal action in the light of a patriotic endeavour to preserve the integrity of our Constitution and the democratic values we hold dear. It is a testament to our collective determination to ensure that Ghana remains a beacon of democracy and rule of law in Africa and around the world.”
Read below Richard Dela Sky’s statement