US EditionSenegal's President Signs Harsher Anti-LGBTQ Law
The law also punishes people who promote or finance same-sex relations and raises fines to 10 million CFA francs, officials said.
- On Monday, March 31, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye signed legislation doubling maximum prison terms for same-sex sexual acts to 10 years and criminalizing the promotion or financing of homosexuality.
- Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko championed the measure, which passed the National Assembly on March 11 with 135 votes in favor, zero opposed, and three abstentions.
- Fines for same-sex sexual acts increase to between 2 million and 10 million CFA francs, while the law defines 'acts against nature' to include homosexuality, bisexuality, and 'transsexuality'.
- U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk called the law 'deeply worrying,' stating it 'flies in the face of the sacrosanct human rights' while rights groups warn of restricted healthcare access.
- The enactment aligns Senegal with more than 30 African nations that criminalize same-sex relations, reflecting a regional trend of intensifying legal enforcement against LGBTQ+ individuals.
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37 Articles
Senegal enacts law doubling jail time for same-sex relations
Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye enacted the new law after it resoundingly cleared parliament earlier this month. It also penalizes those "promoting" or funding same-sex relations, as well as false allegations.
While this repressive law had been adopted by the overwhelming majority of the deputies of the National Assembly, on 11 March, arrests of alleged homosexuals were increasing in the country.
Senegal doubles prison sentence length for same-sex relations
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has signed into law legislation doubling the maximum penalty for same-sex relations, making them punishable by up to 10 years in prison amid a crackdown on the country's gay community.
This law was published this Tuesday in the Official Gazette and also provides for criminal sanctions for the promotion and financing of homosexuality in this West African country.
The law doubles prison sentences punishing homosexuality and punishes its "promotion" and financing. Since February, new arrests have been reported daily in the press.
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