By Adama Makasuba
Chairman of constitutional review commission has dismissed insinuations ‘right to marry provision’ in draft constitution promotes ‘gay rights’.
A top UN official recently called on The Gambia to allow same-sex marriage, a call that sparked outrage.
In an exclusive interview with The Fatu Network, Justice Sulayman Jallow said the country’s position on gay marriage is ‘clear’.
“We have a law under the criminal code that (is) prohibiting gay marriage, so people need to look in this proper context and stop sensationalizing things that really are not meant to be in that form.
“The provision is clear, we have replicated what is in the 1997 constitution, and it hasn’t been an issue in that constitution and we have repeated the same in the draft constitution – word for word. So, we don’t understand why it’s been an issue,” Justice Jallow said.
The Gambia is one of many countries in Africa where gay marriage is a criminal offence and anyone convicted of the crime could be jailed for life.
