By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has assented to a law doubling the maximum penalty for same-sex relations, making them punishable by up to 10 years in prison as clampdown continues in the country’s gay community.
The law signed Monday appeared in the official journal that was distributed Tuesday, was passed by a large majority of parliamentarians. It includes criminal penalties for those found guilty of promoting or financing same-sex relationships.
UN rights chief Volker Turk in response described the legislation aa “deeply worrying”, after its passage in parliament, saying it “flies in the face of the sacrosanct human rights”.
The law punishes “acts against nature”, a term used to signify same-sex relations, by five to 10 years’ imprisonment, compared to its maximum sentence of five years previously.
Those found guilty of promoting or financing same-sex relationships are liable for three to seven years in prison under the law.
According to media reports, dozens of men have been arrested under the anti-LGBTQ laws since February, when police detained 12 men, including two local celebrities, the beginning of a spate of detentions.
Reports say arrests have often been based on accusations and phone searches, which are reported almost daily, with the names of those detained disclosed to the public.
The new law additionally penalises anyone who accuses another of same-sex offences “without proof”.
After debating for several hours, lawmakers approved the bill by a vote of 135 in favour, zero opposed and three abstentions on March 11.
Under the law, the maximum sentence will be handed down if the act was committed with a minor. Punishment will additionally include fines from two million to 10 million CFA francs ($3,500 to $17,600), compared to 100,000 to 1.5 million CFA francs previously.
LGBTQ rights group ILGA World had urged Faye not to sign the bill, urging him to uphold “respect for individual liberty and the human person”.
