In a Landmark Ruling, Senegal Has Handed Down the First Conviction Under a Recently Enacted Law That Imposes Stricter Penalties for Homosexuality.
The court in the Dakar suburb of Pikine — Guédiawaye sentenced a 24-year-old laborer to six years in prison and imposed a fine of 2 million CFA francs ($3,300) for “acts against nature and public indecency.”This development comes after Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye signed the new legislation on March 31, which doubles the maximum prison sentence for same-sex relations from five to ten years.
The law also introduces criminal penalties for those promoting or financing same — sex relationships.
The UN rights chief, Volker Türk, expressed concern over the law, describing it as “deeply worrying “and a violation of fundamental human rights. Human Rights Watch researcher Larissa Kojoué highlighted the increased climate of fear, noting that arrests have intensified with state apparatus backing. Local media have documented dozens of arrests related to the new anti-LGBTQ+ laws since February.
Source: Africanews
Original author: Sarah Miansoni
