EQUALITY campaigners have said an opportunity to raise the issue of gay rights with the President of Ghana should not be wasted when he visits Scotland.
John Dramani Mahama, head of the West African state, will visit the Scottish Parliament tomorrow against a backdrop of rising vigilante attacks against gay people in his home country and complaints that police routinely ignore the violence. He is set to receive an honorary degree at the University of Aberdeen on Friday and attend a business event in the north east.
Under Ghanaian law, consensual same-sex sexual acts are dubbed "unnatural carnal knowledge" and punishable by between one and three years in prison.
But while Presiding Officer Tricia Marwick will "extend the hand of friendship" to President Mahama in a bid to strengthen economic and democratic ties with Ghana, she does not plan to address the persecution of gay people in the country.
A Scottish Parliament spokeswoman, asked whether she would raise the issue, said Ms Marwick's role is "always of political impartiality and neutrality". She added: "It would therefore not be for the Presiding Officer to raise political matters during a courtesy call."
A Scottish Government spokeswoman refused to say whether the First Minister would raise the topic in a short scheduled meeting between President Mahama and Nicola Sturgeon, only saying they would "discuss a range of issues of mutual interest."
The reluctance to raise gay rights was criticised by equality campaigners, who said a golden opportunity to speak about the issue with a leader of one of the most homophobic societies in the world could be wasted.
A recent survey found 96 per cent of Ghanaians felt their society should not accept homosexuals, and while Mr Mahama has said he does not believe gay people should be killed or beaten because of their sexuality, his government has said it will "not take any step to promote homosexualism in Ghana."
Felicity Daly, executive director of the Kaleidoscope Trust which promotes LGBT rights internationally, criticised Ms Marwick after the parliament dismissed gay rights as a "political matter". She said she believed John Bercow, the presiding officer's counterpart in the House of Commons and president of the charity, would have chosen to tackle the issue given the opportunity.
She added: "I can't imagine him making a statement like that and I'm sure he wouldn't have any discomfort in exploring this issue. This isn't something that should be dismissed as a political hot potato. It's insulting to the Scottish public to say we're not going to raise something that clearly Scots are in favour of.
"To divorce this from any discussion is a missed opportunity. Good diplomats are able to have difficult conversations, and any time a head of state is outside their home country they know they're going to be dealing with different cultures. I don't think it would surprise him."
Announcing President Mahama's visit, the Scottish Parliament emphasised the opportunity to build links with Scotland's industrial and engineering sectors, with Ghana's economy growing as a result of offshore oil production. He will also meet with party leaders and address a meeting of MSPs.
Ms Daly said there could be several ways of raising gay rights diplomatically, including Ghana's participation in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, President Mahama's previous public statements or an agreement at the last Commonwealth heads of Government meeting which stated that "all human rights are equal, indivisible, interdependent, interrelated and universal."
She added: "It's about basic human rights, and the president has said laws should not be broken and people should not be beaten or killed because of their sexual orientation. That could be an important starting point for a dialogue, saying 'Scotland wants to support you in ending violence against marginalised groups.'
"These are remnants of imperial law, and Britain has a responsibility to help countries on their journeys in changing their penal codes. The situation there is intolerable there for a lot of people."
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