71 Men Arrested in Senegal on Homosexuality Charges Under New Law
On August 7, the Senegalese public prosecutor’s office confirmed the arrest of 71 men charged with “unnatural acts.” Charges against 28 others were dropped. According to PinkNews , these detentions are part of a broader crackdown on LGBT people following the toughening of the country’s legislation.
Among those arrested were local celebrities, initially suspected not only of homosexual acts but also of deliberately transmitting HIV; however, the infection-related charges were later dropped. Human rights activists, including Human Rights Watch researcher Larissa Kojoué, note that the new measures have created a climate of constant fear among LGBT individuals, as the police now enjoy the full backing of the state apparatus.
The new law, signed by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye in March 2026, increased the maximum penalty for same-sex relations from five to ten years in prison. Furthermore, the “promotion” or “financing” of homosexuality is punishable by three to seven years in prison. The first conviction under the stricter rules was handed down in April in a suburb of Dakar, where a 24-year-old man was sentenced to six years in prison and a $3,300 fine. Senegal is a Muslim-majority country in West Africa where same-sex relations have historically been criminalized as “acts against nature.”
