Senegal president signs harsh anti-gay bill into law

Penalties for gay sex are doubled; prison for ‘promoting’ homosexuality

The president of Senegal has given the green light to a highly contentious anti-LGBTQ bill that  significantly stiffens the penalties for same-sex relations, doubling the maximum prison sentence to 10 years. The newly enacted law also criminalizes any actions considered to be attempts to “promote” homosexuality, further tightening the noose around LGBTQ+ rights in the nation.

The move comes despite substantial backlash from global human rights organizations, with U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk decrying the law as contrary to fundamental human rights like dignity, equality, and freedom of expression. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, both proponents of stricter anti-LGBT laws, have fulfilled their campaign promises by enacting this legislation.

Senegal’s already stringent penal code, which previously imposed up to five years of imprisonment for “acts against nature,” now incorporates harsh anti-LGBTQ penalties, including fines up to 10 million CFA francs [about US $17,477). The passing of this law has coincided with an uptick in arrests on charges linked to homosexuality, and, in some cases, to supposedly intentional HIV transmission.

This post is an edited version of the article “Senegal Enacts Controversial Anti-LGBT Legislation Amid International Criticism” in DevDiscourse.com.