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Human Rights Lawyers Call On UK Government To Ban ‘Conversion Therapy’

Human rights lawyers call on UK government to ban ‘conversion therapy’

Leading human rights lawyers and experts have called for swift action to outlaw so-called conversion therapy, which they say is degrading and harmful, and should not be tolerated in a civilised society.

The Forum, chaired by Helena Kennedy QC, says all practices, including prayer, that seek to suppress, “cure” or change sexual orientation or gender identity must be criminalised. There should be no defence that a victim appears to have consented.

“Individuals who seek out conversion practices in the hope of being ‘cured’ are not made aware of the severe psychological harm to which they are exposed, and so cannot give informed consent,” says the Forum’s report, published on Friday.

People who “actively sought out and ‘consented’ to these practices … have since provided evidence of the severe, long-term, negative psychological impact”.

In May, the government announced it would bring forward legislation to ban “conversion therapy” but said it would first hold consultations on the issue. Since pledging to introduce a ban three years ago, it has come under pressure from some faith organisations to exempt prayer on the grounds of religious freedom.

Eighteen senior lawyers, academics, parliamentarians and civil society leaders are signatories to the Forum’s Cooper report, named after the human rights barrister Jonathan Cooper, who died suddenly earlier this month.

It demands a broad definition of conversion practices to prevent loopholes, saying it should cover “any practice that seeks to suppress, ‘cure’ or change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity”.

The report says: “It is vital that the definition implemented is sufficiently broad to effectively capture all forms these practices can take. Legislation must not allow any potential loopholes for individuals and institutions to continue undertaking conversion practices under a modified aim or false pretence.”

It also says that an exemption for religious practices would undermine prohibition. In an article published by the Guardian, Kennedy writes: “The government is undoubtedly under pressure from some religious institutions to severely limit such a ban on the fallacious grounds that it would interfere with religious freedom.”

The report recommends legislation criminalising condemnatory prayer that seeks to suppress or change a person’s identity, but permitting prayer that seeks to help someone come to terms with who they are.

Criminalisation is “essential when dealing with human rights abuses as this draws a clear line as to what acts will and will not be tolerated in a civilised society”, writes Kennedy. Perpetrators should be “left in no doubt that if they continue their harmful practices, they will face the full force of the law”.

The government should implement legislation without delay, she adds. “We question why further consultation is needed – too many lives have already been impacted by this form of abuse and countless more are still at risk.”

According to government research, 7% of LGBT+ people have experienced some form of conversion practice. Campaigners say it causes psychological harm and can drive people to self-harm or suicide.

In the Queen’s speech in May, Boris Johnson’s government said it would legislate to ban “coercive and abhorrent” conversion practices, but pledged to uphold freedom of speech and religious freedom. Some churches and faith leaders say politicians must not be permitted to dictate what people may or may not pray about.

Pray Away focuses in particular on Exodus International, which propelled and popularized the idea that it was possible – and preferable – to change one’s sexual orientation.

But David Walker, the bishop of Manchester, has said faith leaders should face prosecution if they failed to comply with a ban. Activity leading to prosecution should include prayer aimed at changing someone’s sexual orientation, he told the Guardian in June.

Campaigners for LGBT+ rights have warned that plans for government consultations before legislation is laid before parliament will lead to a dangerous delay.

Crispin Blunt, the Conservative MP, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on global LGBT+ rights and a member of the Forum, said: “The continued delay casts doubt over the government’s good intentions and Global Britain’s leadership on LGBT rights.

“These recommendations can and should be implemented without delay, for whilst we wait countless lives are being impacted, as it implies the UK thinks it is alright to try and ‘fix’ anyone’s sexuality and gender identity … Further government prevarication is no longer defensible.”

Almost two-thirds of British adults believe conversion practices should be banned, according to a YouGov survey earlier this year. The Royal College of Psychiatrists supports a ban, saying conversion practices are “unacceptable and harmful”.

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Court vacates bench warrant for arrest of Rivers CoS Ehie Eddison, five others

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has set aside a bench warrant of arrest it earlier issued in the case against the Chief of Staff of Rivers Government House Ehie Eddison and five others over alleged involvement in the murder and burning of the State House of Assembly.

Justice Emeka Nwite vacated the warrant while delivering his ruling in an application seeking to vacate the warrant of arrest which he issued on January 31, 2024.

The Judge said he was misled by the police in ordering the arrest of Ehie in connection with the burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly on October 30, 2023.

The Police, had told the court that Ehie and five others masterminded the bombing of the Rivers State House of Assembly amid a plot to impeach Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

The five others are Jinjiri Bala, Happy Benedict, Progress Joseph, Adokiye Oyagiri, and Chibuike Peter, alias Rambo.

Justice Emeka Nwite while setting aside the warrant said it has now become a mere academic exercise.

The judge further granted same to the 2nd to 5th Defendant/Applicant in same suit.

Eddison Ehie was represented by Femi Falana SAN, Wole Oladoye, SAN, Dr Bimpe Ajegbomogun and Barr Asmau Yakubu.

Though Ehie’s name was mentioned in the courts, he was not listed among the defendants.

Speaking to Journalists one of Ehie’s Counsel, Wole Oladoye said, “My client was never invited by the police for anything. All that he saw was that they filed a charge; they mentioned his name in four out of seven charges for murder and arson.”

Aladedoye also argued that it was strange that the Inspector-General of Police left all the courts in Rivers State, where the alleged offences were committed, to file an application before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

“Your Lordship has no jurisdiction to entertain the matter here,“ the counsel said.

Counsel for the other defendants, Femi Falana(SAN), said the crime his clients were alleged to have committed were state offences allegedly commited in Port Harcourt,Rivers State.

In the application, it was stated that “What is disclosed are state offences; it is our submission that this court cannot exercise any jurisdiction in state offences without the fiat of the Attorney General of Rivers State”.

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Army shuts military camp, withdraws troops from Niger state community after killing of four soldiers and two officers

The Nigerian military has closed its camp and withdrawn troops in Allawa community in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State following the recent killing of four soldiers and two officers by bandits.

Allawa community is one of the communities facing severe attacks by bandits and terrorists in Shiroro LGA.

According to the Daily Trust, the withdrawal of troops, which residents said came to them as a surprise due to renewed attacks in the community and its neighbouring communities, had caused hundreds of locals including women, the elderly and children to vacate their houses, trekking at least 50 kilometres to safe places.

Residents told the publication that they woke up on Thursday seeing the soldiers removing their tents in preparation to leave the community.

One of the locals, who preferred anonymity, said that the withdrawal came two days after the military vehicle stepped on a landmine along the Allawa-Pandogari road, leading to an unspecified number of casualties.

“I don’t know if you were aware that on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, the military personnel on their way to Allawa stepped on an IED and causalities including death were recorded. Some of them are in the hospital. The incident happened on Allawa-pandogari road Tuesday,” he said.

The Tuesday incident came less than a week after six soldiers and a vigilante lost their lives in an ambush at Roro when bandits launched multiple attacks on Roro, Karaga, Rumace and other farming communities.

Another resident, Mallam Yahuza Allawa, said that dozens of residents had vacated their communities as early as 4am on foot and were heading towards Erena, Gwada, Kuta or Zumba for safety.

“This is a serious issue. Please help us report this issue. We are leaving our communities now and there are insufficient motorcycles and vehicles to take us out as quick as possible. We are afraid. Maybe if you report it, the government will bring vehicles to evacuate us to safe places. Our belongings are there, we can’t pack them,” he said

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Court jails three for N17.6m fraud in Maiduguri

The Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Monday, April 22, 2024, secured the conviction and sentencing of three fraudsters before Justice Umaru Fadawu of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri.

The convicts are Mohammed Dogo, Babagoni Mustapha Ali, and Dookenger Odey Takon.

Dogo and Ali were arraigned on April 8, 2024, on one-count separate charge bordering on criminal misappropriation to the tune of N6,360,422.00 (Six Million Three Hundred and Sixty Thousand, Four Hundred and Twenty-Two Naira).

Takon , on the other hand, was arraigned on September 24, 2020, on a four-count charge bordering on cheating, obtaining by false pretence, forgery, and criminal misappropriation to the tune of N11, 300,000.00 (Eleven Million, Three Hundred Thousand Naira).

The charge against Dogo read: “That you Mohammed Dogo, between 2012 to 2018 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly misappropriated the entire sum of N1,660,422.94 (One Million, Six Hundred and Sixty Thousand, Four Hundred and Twenty-Two Naira, Ninety Four Kobo), where you opened an Account Number; 1015975677 with an Account Name; Audu Umar Abdullahi (now deceased) without the consent of his legal heirs for your personal use and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 308 of Penal Code Cap. 102 Laws of Borno State of Nigeria and Punishable under Section 309 of the same Law.”

The charge against Takon read: “That you Dookenger Odey Takon whilst being a Director of X-Traodinaire Designs Ltd. And X-Traodinaire Designs Ltd. sometime in September 2018 at Maiduguri, Borno State within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N10, 500,000.00 (Ten Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira) only from Abatcha Ana’s under the false pretence that the sum represent payment for the execution of a purported contract of constructing a Mopol container and store awarded to X-Traodinaire Designs Ltd. By a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), International Organization for Migration (I.O.M) which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 1 (1) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and Punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.”

The two defendants pleaded “guilty” to their separate counts while Takon pleaded “not guilty” and the matter proceeded to trial.

Counsel to the prosecution Muhktar Ali Ahmed, Faruqu Muhammad, and Aliyu D. Abdulmalik presented four witnesses and tendered several documents as exhibits before the court.

Justice Fadawu thereafter convicted them as charged and sentenced Dogo to one-year imprisonment without an option of fine.

Ali was sentenced to one-year imprisonment with an option of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) fine. The Judge further ordered the convict to restitute the sum of N1.9m to his victim and in default to serve a three-year jail term.

After that, Justice Fadawu convicted and sentenced Takon to seven years imprisonment for the offence of obtaining by false pretence without an option of fine.

In the same vein, the court sentenced Takon for cheating to one-year imprisonment with an option of N100,000 while X-Traodinaire Designs Ltd shall pay a fine of N100,000.

For the offence of using a forged document, she was jailed to a year imprisonment with an option of N400,000 while the judge awarded a four-year jail term for criminal misappropriation with the option of N400,000 as a fine.

The Judge ordered Takon to pay the sum of N11.3m to her victim; in default, she should serve a five-year jail term. The prison terms shall run concurrently while in default of the restitution, the five years imprisonment should run consecutively according to the judge.

The three convicts bagged their imprisonment when they were arrested for various offences ranging from misappropriation, cheating, forgery to obtaining under false pretence.

They were charged to court and convicted.