Senegal’s National Assembly passed legislation on Wednesday that doubles the maximum prison sentence for same-sex relations, making the West African nation’s laws against homosexuality significantly harsher.
Lawmakers voted 135 to zero, with three abstentions, to approve the bill. It now moves to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to be signed into law .
The new law punishes what the penal code refers to as “acts against nature” with five to ten years in prison. The previous sentence ranged from one to five years .
Fines have also increased. Those convicted now face penalties of up to 10 million CFA francs, an amount equivalent to about $17,600. The previous maximum fine was 1.5 million CFA francs .
Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko presented the legislation to parliament. The bill fulfills a campaign pledge made by his Pastef party, which came to power in 2024 .
The legislation creates new criminal offenses beyond the act itself. People found guilty of promoting or financing same-sex relations face three to seven years in prison .
The law includes a measure that penalizes individuals who accuse others of same-sex offenses without providing proof .
Sonko told lawmakers that the revised law would keep the offense classified 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,” he said during parliamentary debate .
The bill specifies that the maximum sentence applies when an act involves a minor .
The vote followed weeks of heightened tension. Police arrested at least 30 men since early February on suspicion of same-sex relations, according to local media reports . Those detained included a television reporter and a musician .
Some of those arrested faced additional charges of deliberately transmitting HIV, which carries its own potential ten-year sentence .
Social media in Senegal has seen a surge in homophobic messages in recent weeks, with some posts calling for the outing of individuals suspected of same-sex activity. Headlines in local media have included phrases such as “Big homo clean-up,” according to news reports .
The country’s media ethics regulator, CORED, called on outlets to respect human dignity and individual privacy during the coverage of arrests .
Human rights groups have criticized both the arrests and the new law. Human Rights Watch said the recent crackdown violated “multiple internationally protected rights,” including equality and nondiscrimination .
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) said the legislation breaches Senegal’s commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The group called on authorities to drop the bill and end what it described as arbitrary arrests .
Rights advocates also expressed concern about provisions targeting HIV-positive individuals. Alex Müller, director of LGBTQ issues at Human Rights Watch, warned that broadly defined language could restrict access to healthcare for groups working to combat HIV and AIDS .
Some religious organizations in the Muslim-majority country have held demonstrations in recent years calling for harsher punishments . During parliamentary debate, lawmaker Diaraye Ba received applause from colleagues when she said: “Homosexuals will no longer breathe in this country” .
The conservative group And Samm Djikko Yi, which means “Together to Protect Values,” had threatened to launch a nationwide campaign if new laws were not enacted .
Senegal joins other African nations that have recently strengthened or introduced laws against same-sex relations. Burkina Faso’s transitional parliament approved a bill banning homosexual acts in September 2025. Mali adopted similar legislation in 2024. Uganda enacted some of the world’s harshest anti-homosexuality laws in 2023, allowing the death penalty for certain same-sex acts .
At least 32 of Africa’s 54 countries have laws prohibiting same-sex relations .
LGBTQ advocacy is frequently denounced in Senegal as foreign interference that attempts to impose Western values . The new law’s passage reflects broad political consensus in a country where homosexuality is widely regarded as deviant .
Activists contacted by AFP said the climate had become unbearable for the LGBTQ community. Some reported helping people cross into neighboring Gambia . The association STOP Homophobia said it received 18 requests for help to leave Senegal in recent days .