Senegal president signs new anti-LGBTQ law

UN human rights chief Volker Turk warned against approving the measure, arguing that it “flies in the face” of dignity, privacy, and equality

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has signed into law a measure that toughens penalties for same-sex relations and criminalizes the “promotion” and financing of homosexuality.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk called the bill “harmful” and urged the president not to sign it. It was approved by parliament in March by 135 votes, with three abstentions.

The new law doubles prison sentences for what the authorities call “unnatural acts,” including homosexuality, bisexuality, “transsexuality,” zoophilia, and necrophilia, from the previous 1-5 years to 5-10 years, while also increasing maximum fines to 10 million CFA francs ($17,680). Reports on the text say judges are also barred from handing down suspended sentences or reducing prison terms below the established minimum.

Homosexual relations were already illegal in the Muslim-majority country under a 1966 provision. Backers of the measure, including religious groups, cast it as a defense of traditional values.

READ MORE: Senegal lawmakers tighten anti-LGBTQ law

In February, police arrested 12 men under the existing laws on suspicion of committing “acts against nature,” and in some cases, the “voluntary transmission” of HIV. Non-profit groups, including Human Rights Watch, said the crackdown risked endangering LGBTQ people and undermining HIV-related outreach.

In a statement on March 12, the UN human rights chief said the law should not be enacted, warning that it “flies in the face” of rights to dignity, privacy, and equality.

Turk also urged the Senegalese government to “repeal the existing discriminatory law” and uphold the rights of all people in Senegal without discrimination.

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Several African nations have maintained their stance despite pressure to abandon plans to criminalize same-sex relations.

The US removed Uganda from a key duty-free trade program, and the World Bank froze new loans after Kampala passed an anti-LGBTQ law in May 2023 imposing the death penalty for certain same-sex acts and up to 20 years in prison for promoting homosexuality.

In 2024, Ghana’s Finance Ministry warned that the country could lose $3.8 billion in World Bank funding if the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill approved by parliament is signed into law.

READ MORE: Ghana risks World Bank and IMF funding over anti-LGBTQ bill