From Fatteh
Advocates say the proposed law has created an ‘atmosphere of terror’ among the local LGBTQ+ community and warn that, if passed, it would intensify hostility toward those who already face criminalisation.
Senegal’s prime minister Ousmane Sonko has moved to double prison sentences for same-sex relations and LGBTQ advocacy, advancing legislation that would increase penalties from five years to a maximum of ten years in jail, amid a widening crackdown on LGBTQ+ people.
The new bill was approved by the cabinet on 18 February, with the government framing it as a defence of national and moral values. Sonko subsequently called on legislators to back the proposal, describing it as a needed tightening of the country’s criminal code. The bill is now awaiting consideration before parliament.
Under Article 319 of Senegal’s penal code, consensual same-sex relations, referred to in the law as “unnatural acts,” are punishable by a prison sentence of one to five years and fines ranging from 100,000 to 1.5 million CFA francs (approximately $180 to $3,000). The proposed amendment seeks to increase the maximum prison term to ten years and raise fines to between 2 million and 10 million CFA francs ($3,500 to $18,000). The draft legislation would also introduce prison terms for individuals accused of promoting or advocating for homosexuality while imposing harsher sentences in cases involving individuals under 21.
More content from this blog
- In Kashmir, Even Sorrow Must Pass a Loyalty Test, by Mirza Waheed – 26 April 2025
- The Hindu Nationalist Remaking of Transgender Identity in India, by Hritik Lalan – 13 July 2026
- Reports from the past Week on Workers’ Struggles and Other Protest Movements in Iran, by Hayat Almasi and Evin Rezaei – June 2025
- Davyd Chychkan, 1986-2025
- The War Comes Home: A Field Report on Domestic Violence, by Chichak Darfash – 28 May 2026