Senegal Doubles Prison Terms for Same-S3x Relations Amid Crackdown on LGBTQ Community
Senegal Doubles Prison Terms for Same-S3x Relations Amid Crackdown on LGBTQ Community
Senegal Doubles Prison Terms for Same-S3x Relations Amid Crackdown on LGBTQ Community
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has signed into law a controversial bill doubling the maximum prison sentence for same-sex relations to 10 years, intensifying a crackdown on the country’s LGBTQ community.
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The legislation, published in the official journal on March 31, 2026 passed the National Assembly with overwhelming support, introducing penalties for promoting or financing same-sex relationships as well. Under the law, “acts against nature”—a term used to criminalize same-sex relations—now carry five to 10 years in prison, compared with one to five years previously. Promoting or funding such relationships can result in three to seven years behind bars.
The law also imposes fines ranging from two million to 10 million CFA francs ($3,500–$17,600), significantly higher than the previous range of 100,000 to 1.5 million CFA francs. Maximum sentences apply when offences involve minors, and false accusations without proof are also punishable.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk described the legislation as “deeply worrying” and said it “flies in the face of sacrosanct human rights.”
Since February, dozens of men have reportedly been arrested under Senegal’s anti-LGBTQ laws, including two local celebrities, with detentions often based on accusations and phone searches.
The bill, first presented to parliament by former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who assumed office in 2024, was approved on March 11 with 135 votes in favour, none opposed, and three abstentions.
LGBTQ advocacy groups, including ILGA World, urged President Faye not to sign the bill, warning it undermines “respect for individual liberty and the human person.”
In Senegal, a predominantly Muslim West African nation, debates on LGBTQ rights have long been contentious, with religious associations demanding tougher penalties and denouncing gay rights advocacy as a Western imposition.
AFP
Senegal Doubles Prison Terms for Same-S3x Relations Amid Crackdown on LGBTQ Community
