{"id":28467,"date":"2026-03-12T07:37:14","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T05:37:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/?post_type=news&#038;p=28467"},"modified":"2026-03-12T07:37:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T05:37:14","slug":"senegal-lawmakers-approve-new-harsher-anti-lgbt-bill","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/news\/senegal-lawmakers-approve-new-harsher-anti-lgbt-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Senegal lawmakers approve new, harsher anti-LGBT bill"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>Lawmakers in Senegal on Wednesday endorsed a new bill doubling the maximum \u200cprison term for same-sex sexual acts and criminalising any efforts to promote homosexuality.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The vote with 135 in favour, zero against and three abstentions is the final step in adopting the legislation, which was a campaign promise of the \u200bgovernment that came to power in 2024, led by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and \u200bPrime Minister Ousmane Sonko.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Senegal\u2019s penal code already carried an article, last amended in \u20601966, imposing prison terms of up to five years and fines of up to 1 500 000 CFA \u200bFrancs ($2 676.18) for \u201cacts against nature.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>However, proponents of the new bill said that the article was too vague and \u200bnot tough enough.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The new version says acts against nature can be punished with prison terms of up to 10 years and fines of up to 10 million CFA Francs (roughly $17 700).<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It says a judge may not grant a suspended \u200bsentence, nor reduce a prison term below the minimum.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It specifies that acts against nature relate to \u200bhomosexuality,\u00a0bisexuality, \u201ctranssexuality\u201d, zoophilia and necrophilia.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Those found guilty of promoting or financing such acts also face prison time.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>In the weeks \u200cleading \u2060up to Wednesday\u2019s vote, supporters of the law, including lawmakers from the ruling Pastef party, organised multiple demonstrations in Dakar in which participants shouted \u201cno to homosexuality\u201d and held signs with rainbows crossed out.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The period has also been marked by a surge in arrests of men on suspicion of \u201cacts against \u200bnature\u201d as well as, \u200bin some cases, \u201cvoluntary transmission\u201d \u2060of human immunodeficiency virus, a crime carrying up to 10 years in prison.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Some 27 men were arrested between February 9 and February 24, according to the \u200bInternational Federation for Human Rights.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The Senegalese law is part of a wave \u200bof anti-\u00a0lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ+) legislation \u2060in the region.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Last year, Burkina Faso passed a law criminalising same-sex sexual relations for the first time, imposing prison terms of up to five years.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Lawmakers in Ghana are considering a new bill that would \u2060increase \u200bthe maximum penalty for same-sex sexual acts from three to \u200bfive years and impose jail time for the \u201cwilful promotion, sponsorship, or support of LGBTQ+\u00a0activities\u201d.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8211;Reuters&#8211;<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":28468,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[78,26],"class_list":["post-28467","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-featured","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Senegalese law is part of a wave \u200bof anti-LGBTQ+ legislation \u2060in the region","published_date":"","news_description":"Senegalese law is part of a wave \u200bof anti-LGBTQ+ legislation \u2060in the 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