Senegal PM proposes tougher anti-LGBT law, doubling prison terms

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Senegal PM proposes tougher anti-LGBT law, doubling prison terms

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Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has introduced legislation that could double the maximum penalty for same-sex relations, making them punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The proposal was sent to Parliament on Tuesday after cabinet approval last week, following a wave of arrests for alleged homosexual relations, already banned under Senegalese law.

Addressing lawmakers, Sonko said the bill would punish what he described as “unnatural acts” with prison sentences ranging from five to 10 years, up from one to five years currently.

“If an act is committed with a minor, it will attract the maximum penalty,” he said. The bill has been criticized by rights advocates.

The debate over LGBT rights has long generated tensions in Senegal, a conservative country where some groups portray pro-LGBT activism as foreign interference.

Religious organizations have staged protests in recent years calling for tougher penalties.

Earlier this month, police arrested 12 men, including two public figures and a prominent journalist, under anti-LGBT laws. Local media say around 30 people have been arrested in total this month.

Sonko explained that the bill defines any sexual behavior between two people of the same sex as an “unnatural act.”

The bill proposes prison sentences of three to seven years for anyone who promotes or advocates homosexual relations.

It also provides separate penalties for those who accuse others of homosexuality “without proof.”

Those found guilty of the crimes covered by the bill could also face fines of up to 10 million CFA francs (about $18,000; £13,000), Sonko added.

Sonko said the revised law would maintain the offense at its current misdemeanor level.

“We can achieve the desired objectives without going so far as to elevate the acts to the level of more serious crimes,” he added.

No date has yet been set for Parliament’s vote on the bill, in a chamber controlled by Sonko’s Pastef party.

Sonko, a former opposition leader appointed prime minister in 2024, had pledged to criminalize same-sex relations in the Muslim-majority country.

Human Rights Watch said the recent anti-LGBT crackdown violated “multiple internationally protected rights,” including equality and non-discrimination.

Several African countries have also introduced similar sanctions against the LGBT community in recent years. In September last year, Burkina Faso’s transitional parliament approved a bill banning homosexual acts, following neighboring Mali in 2024.

In 2023, Uganda passed one of the harshest anti-gay laws in the world, meaning anyone engaging in certain homosexual acts can be sentenced to death.

Additional reporting by Wycliffe Muia