Senegal Doubles Penalty For Gay Sex To 10 Years

Senegal’s parliament has approved a new law that doubles the maximum prison sentence for same-sex relations to 10 years, as authorities intensify their crackdown on the country’s LGBTQ community.

The legislation passed on Wednesday with an overwhelming majority vote of 135 to zero, with three abstentions, and now awaits the signature of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to take effect.

Beyond criminalizing same-sex activity itself, the law also introduces criminal penalties for anyone found to be promoting or financing such relationships.

Sentences for advocacy of same-sex relations are set at three to seven years behind bars.

The legislation refers to same-sex acts using the phrase “acts against nature,” and increases imprisonment for such acts from a previous range of one to five years, to a new range of five to ten years.

The harshest sentences would apply in cases involving minors.

Financial penalties have also been increased significantly, rising from a previous range of 100,000 to 1.5 million CFA francs to a new range of two million to 10 million CFA francs (approximately $3,500 to $17,600).

Notably, the law also makes it a punishable offense to accuse someone of same-sex activity without evidence.

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During the parliamentary debate, lawmaker Diaraye Ba declared from the podium, to applause from some of her colleagues, “Homosexuals will no longer breathe in this country. Homosexuals will no longer have freedom of expression in this country.”

Since February, media outlets have reported the near-daily arrests of dozens of men under the country’s existing anti-LGBTQ statutes, with the names of those detained regularly made public.

Arrests have frequently been based on tip-offs and mobile phone searches.

The first wave of detentions in February included two local public figures among the 12 men initially arrested.

Some of those taken into custody have also faced accusations of deliberately spreading HIV, further inflaming public debate.

A Politically Charged Climate

LGBTQ issues have long been a flashpoint in Senegal, a predominantly Muslim country where advocacy for gay rights is often framed by critics as a Western attempt to impose alien values.

Religious groups have held rallies calling for stricter punishments, and social media has been inundated in recent weeks with homophobic content and calls to expose individuals suspected of same-sex activity.

The crackdown has generated sensationalist media coverage, with headlines such as “Big homo clean-up” and “Bisexuals, walking dangers.”

Recent reporting has also blurred the lines between the same-sex relations arrests and an unrelated child sexual abuse case, in which investigators broke up a gang accused of violence against minors and arrested 14 people.

Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who personally presented the bill to parliament, had previously vowed to reclassify same-sex relations from a misdemeanor to a more serious criminal offense.

However, the enacted legislation retains the misdemeanor classification, drawing criticism from opposition politicians who accuse him of not honoring his pledge.

Targeting LGBTQ individuals carries clear political benefits in Senegal, where homosexuality is broadly viewed as deviant behavior.

Senegal is far from alone in this stance across the continent — at least 32 of Africa’s 54 nations have laws prohibiting same-sex relations.

Uganda, Mauritania, and Somalia impose the death penalty for such acts, while around ten other countries or territories, including Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, and Sierra Leone, enforce sentences ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment.