Even in the security of a public court hearing, with his attackers in handcuffs, Timothy* remained on edge.
Timothy, a 22-year-old queer man from central Ghana, had been the victim of a violent hate crime. But he was fearful that his sexuality, which remains a secret, would complicate his family relations, and make his pursuit of justice harder.
In April 2023 Timothy was stripped, beaten and robbed at knifepoint by five men, including a man he had considered a friend. In a video of the incident that was taken by the attackers and distributed on WhatsApp, Timothy’s attackers make repeated references to his sexuality as they beat him and douse his eyes with an unidentified liquid.
