Dakar, March 11, (dpa/GNA) – The Senegalese parliament has approved tougher criminal penalties for homosexual relationships, adopting a bill that significantly increases prison terms and fines for what the law describes as “unnatural acts.”
Lawmakers passed the government-backed bill late on Wednesday, with 135 votes in favour and three abstentions in the National Assembly.
Under the legislation, same-sex sexual relations would be punishable by five to 10 years in prison, compared with the current penalties of one to five years.
The bill also allows authorities to punish the “promotion” of same-sex relations, including through organizations or media. Critics say the measures could hamper civil society groups and HIV prevention programmes targeting at-risk communities. The law still requires the president’s signature to take effect.
Homosexuality and bisexuality remain strongly taboo in the predominantly Muslim West African country. Opinion polls have repeatedly shown more than 90% of respondents oppose same-sex relationships.
The issue has gained renewed public attention, following several recent investigations. In early February, security forces detained around a dozen men, some of them prominent figures, over alleged homosexual relationships.
Shortly afterwards, police said they had dismantled an international child abuse network in the capital Dakar. The two cases were frequently conflated in parts of the public debate and on social media.
Senegal, a coastal nation of about 18 million people, is widely regarded as one of Africa’s more stable democracies. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko came to power two years ago, promising political renewal and economic reforms.
Around 65 countries worldwide criminalize same-sex relations, more than half of them in Africa.
GNA