25 African faith leaders and scholars call for a moratorium on new criminal measures targeting LGBTQ people

Twenty-five faith leaders, theologians, scholars and legal thinkers from Africa and the African diaspora introduced the African Democratic Covenant in September. Its authors called on governments across the continent to pause laws that expand criminal penalties for same-sex relations and support for LGBTQ people. The statement was reported by 263Chat in an article published by AllAfrica on September 30.

The Covenant was presented at a virtual meeting organized by the Pan-African advocacy organization Interconnected Justice (ICJUSTICE). Participants are seeking a moratorium to allow public and constitutional debate. ICJUSTICE president, US bishop Joseph Tolton, placed the initiative within a broader program of “African Reconstruction” encompassing economic sovereignty, religious self-determination, constitutional pluralism and human dignity.

Speakers included South African Anglican priest Mpho Tutu van Furth and former Kenyan Chief Justice Willy Mutunga. Tutu van Furth urged religious organizations to support vulnerable people while continuing dialogue with African Christians who hold different theological views. Mutunga cited Kenyan court rulings on freedom of association and non-discrimination. Organizers also referred to Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson and Anglican Archbishop Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith as advocates of education rather than criminalization, but stressed that neither man is affiliated with or has endorsed the Covenant.

Ghana’s Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill was a major focus. Parliament approved it on May 29, 2026, but the speaker later ordered the measure to be reconsidered because parliamentary procedure had not been fully followed. According to the Ghana News Agency , lawmakers adjourned on July 31 without completing that reconsideration. As a result, there was no confirmation at publication time that the bill had been sent to the president for assent.

The text passed in May provided for up to three years in prison for same-sex sexual relations and up to ten years for some forms of “promotion” of LGBTQ activity. Supporters say it protects family values, cultural norms and children; it has backing from figures in both major parties and from religious groups. The Covenant’s authors, by contrast, argue that broader criminal penalties would restrict constitutional freedoms and could set a precedent for wider state control. Those claims remain part of an ongoing political and religious dispute.

As Africa Ascendant Media reported , organizers plan to continue the discussion at a Desmond Tutu Conference and the Black Global Freedom Gathering. No public responses from African governments had been reported when the initiative was introduced.

Uránia previously reported that the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute urged Ghanaian authorities not to enact the bill .