Senegal’s parliament will consider a proposal to double the prison term for people convicted of homosexuality and might bringing in new laws targeting ‘the promotion’ of homosexuality.
The proposal has been put forward by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko. It would double the prison sentence for consensual same-sex relationships from five years to ten years.
The dramatic increase in prison sentence length would make the country have one of the harshest penalties for homosexuality in West Africa.
The updated laws would also imposes prison terms of three to seven years for anyone who publicly advocates for, promotes, or defends LGBTQ+ rights.
Recent weeks have seen over 30 people reportedly arrested on charges of partaking in homosexual activities, including some public figures.
The parliament has twice previously unsuccessfully attempted to increase the penalties for homosexual activity. In October 2023 in the town of Kaolack, 200 kilometres southeast of the capital Dakar, a mob exhumed the body of a man they believed to have been gay, they dragged his corpse through the streets and burned it in the town square. Videos of the incident were widely shared on social media in Senegal.
The parliament will debate the laws later this week, but with the Prime Minister’s PASTEF party holding a majority it is expected that the laws will pass. They will then need to be approved by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye – who is a protege of Prime Minister Sonko.
