Senegalese deputies adopted a law on Wednesday March 11 that toughens the penalties incurred for sexual relations between people of the same sex. The reform of article 19 of the penal code provides in particular for doubling the prison sentences incurred for homosexual relations.
Published on: Modified on:
2 min Reading time
With our correspondent in Dakar, Léa-Lisa Westerhoff
While a wave of arrests of people accused of alleged homosexuality is underway in Senegalthis new text proposes to increase prison sentences from five to ten years of imprisonment, against one to five years currently, for any person convicted of an act known as “ unnatural “. The law also plans to increase fines, which could reach up to 10 million CFA francs, compared to only 1.5 million currently.
Also readHomosexuality: the Senegalese government validates a bill to toughen legislation on “unnatural acts”
The new text also specifies the notion “ unnatural act » to include “ sexual acts between two people of the same sex “. Two new offenses also appear in this law: the apology and financing of homosexuality, punishable by three to seven years in prison.
These debates attract crowds. On this voting day, Wednesday March 11, the hemicycle was full. From the podium, no voice was raised to demand the decriminalization of homosexuality or more lenient penalties.
The opposition criticizes the government for not being more severe, and in particular for not having kept its promise to make homosexuality a crime, rather than an offense.
For Pastef MP Ismaël Wone, reforming this 1965 law responded to a campaign promise. “ The people for two years have been putting pressure on us to tell us “you promised us to return to this law on homosexuality”. It had to be done “, he declared, adding that, according to him, homosexuality is ” against our models and standards of conduct ».
Non-aligned MP Thierno Alassane Sall, for his part, considered that this debate distracts attention from other problems. According to him, in a difficult economic and social context, proposing a more repressive law allows “ to mobilize opinion on a social debate which does not resolve the problems, the deep crisis and the concerns which torment the Senegalese ».
The text was adopted by a National Assembly dominated by the ruling party. Pastef has 109 seats out of the 165 in Parliament.
Human rights associations fear that this new law will maintain a homophobic climate in the country.
Also read“You live in fear”: in Senegal, the repression of homosexuality threatens the fight against AIDS
