Senegal introduces legislation to boost minimum sentence for homosexuality to 5 years

Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko addresses journalists following his release from police custody in Dakar, Senegal, on March 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui)

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal‘s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko introduced legislation in parliament Tuesday that would toughen the prison term for homosexuality in the West African nation to at least five years from the current minimum of one year.

The bill also seeks to broaden the scope of what is defined as “unnatural acts” under the law that has criminalized homosexuality in the conservative country since its independence from France in 1960. But the legislation would not elevate the crime from the current level as a misdemeanor.

“We can achieve the intended objectives without going so far as to elevate the acts” to the level of more serious crimes, Sonko said.

Human rights groups in Senegal say the situation for gay people in the country has been deteriorating since 2018, and that at least a dozen people have been arrested in recent weeks over allegations of homosexuality.

The legislation fulfills one of Sonko’s campaign promises and now needs to be passed in the National Assembly, where Sonko’s PASTEF party is in control.

Babacar Dione, The Associated Press