Parliament votes 135–0 to extend maximum sentence to 10 years; UN human rights chief urges president not to sign the bill
Senegal’s National Assembly passed sweeping anti-LGBTQ legislation on Wednesday, doubling the maximum prison sentence for same-sex relations to ten years and introducing new criminal penalties for anyone found to have promoted or financed such relationships — a vote that drew near-unanimous parliamentary approval and immediate international condemnation.
The bill, presented to parliament by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, passed by a vote of 135 in favour, zero opposed and three abstentions. It now awaits the signature of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye before becoming law.
Under the new legislation, “acts against nature” — the legal term used in Senegal to denote same-sex relations — carry a sentence of five to ten years in prison, up from a previous range of one to five years. Anyone convicted of advocating for same-sex relations faces three to seven years behind bars. Financial penalties have also been sharply increased, rising from a maximum of 1.5 million CFA francs (roughly $2,600) to as much as 10 million CFA francs (about $17,600). The harshest sentences apply when the act involves a minor.
A Climate of Arrests and Public Denunciations
The vote comes amid a broader crackdown that has seen dozens of men detained under Senegal’s existing anti-LGBTQ statutes since February, when police arrested 12 men — including two local celebrities — in the first of a series of high-profile raids. Arrests have frequently followed accusations and phone searches, with the names of those detained made public.
Social media in Senegal has been flooded with homophobic content in recent weeks, and some news outlets have published headlines such as “Big homo clean-up.” Reporting has at times conflated the anti-LGBTQ arrests with a separate child sex abuse investigation, in which authorities dismantled an accused gang and arrested 14 people.
During Wednesday’s parliamentary debate, lawmaker Diaraye Ba declared from the podium, to applause from colleagues: “Homosexuals will no longer breathe in this country. Homosexuals will no longer have freedom of expression in this country.”
International Condemnation
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, swiftly condemned the legislation. “The passing of a new law by Senegal’s parliament which doubles the maximum jail term for consensual same-sex relations to 10 years… is deeply worrying,” Türk said in a statement issued from Geneva.
Türk warned the law “exposes people to hate crimes, abuse, arbitrary arrests, blackmail and widespread discrimination in education, health, employment and housing,” and said it restricts the legitimate work of human rights defenders and the press. He urged President Faye not to sign the bill into law and called on Senegalese authorities to repeal existing anti-LGBTQ statutes.
The legislation reflects the dominant political and social sentiment in Senegal, a Muslim-majority nation where religious associations have staged demonstrations demanding tougher penalties on same-sex conduct. LGBTQ rights advocacy has long been framed by many in the country as a Western imposition of foreign values.
Sonko, widely seen as one of the country’s most influential political figures, had promised before taking office in 2024 to elevate same-sex relations from a misdemeanour to a felony. The new law, however, maintains misdemeanour status — a point seized upon by the opposition, who accused the prime minister of failing to follow through on his pledge.
Senegal is among at least 32 African countries with laws criminalising same-sex relations. Across the continent, penalties range from imprisonment to, in countries such as Uganda, Mauritania and Somalia, the death penalty. Approximately ten African nations impose sentences of between ten years and life in prison, among them Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Sierra Leone.
Reporting contributed by wire services. Additional information from UN Human Rights Office statements.
