Senegal charges 71 men under anti-LGBTQ law

Senegal has intensified its crackdown on homosexuality, charging 71 men with 'unnatural acts' on 7 August 2026, following a preliminary investigation. The public prosecutor's office also dropped charges against 28 other defendants, and dismissed allegations of endangering lives and deliberate HIV transmission. This action follows a new law passed in March 2026 and signed by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, which doubled the maximum penalty for same-sex relations to 10 years in prison and criminalized the promotion or financing of homosexuality. More than 100 people, including local celebrities, have been arrested in recent months. In April, a court in Pikine-Guédiawaye sentenced a 24-year-old man to six years in prison and a fine under the new law. Separately, charges against a French engineer detained since February were dropped, but the public prosecutor's office has appealed that decision. Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have criticized the law, with researcher Larissa Kojoue stating it creates a climate of 'constant fear' for LGBTQ+ people. Senegal is one of several West African countries to recently strengthen laws criminalizing same-sex relationships.