Senegal arrests 71 men for 'unnatural acts' as crackdown on homosexuality intensifies
Senegal intensifies its crackdown on same-sex relations as the public prosecutor's office announces the arrest and charging of 71 men for 'unnatural acts' on August 7, 2026. This follows a March 2026 law doubling prison sentences for homosexual relations. While charges against 28 others are dropped, over 100 people have been charged since the law's passage. Activists argue politicians are scapegoating the LGBT+ community to build easy political consensus.
Senegal arrests for homosexual acts
▪The Senegalese public prosecutor's office stated on August 7, 2026, that 28 other defendants arrested in the same sweep had their charges dropped.
▪Senegalese authorities dropped charges of willful HIV transmission that were initially brought against some individuals arrested on suspicion of homosexual acts.
▪More than 100 people, including local celebrities, have been charged in Senegal since the country passed a law increasing penalties for homosexual relations.
▪The Senegalese public prosecutor's office announced on August 7, 2026, that 71 men had been arrested and charged with "unnatural acts" in Senegal.
Senegal anti-homosexuality law
▪The March 2026 legislation in Senegal criminalizing same-sex relations serves as the basis for an intensifying state crackdown on homosexual acts.
▪Senegal passed a law in March 2026 that increased the penalties and doubled the prison sentence length for homosexual relations.
West African LGBT criminalization wave
▪The enactment of anti-homosexuality laws in West Africa represents a regional trend of intensifying legal crackdowns on same-sex relations in 2026.
▪Senegal is one of several West African countries that have enacted laws criminalizing homosexuality in the months leading up to August 2026.
Political scapegoating of LGBT community
▪Human rights advocates argue that political figures in Senegal exploit anti-homosexuality crackdowns to secure easy consensus and divert from other issues.
▪Activists state that the LGBT+ community in Senegal is being scapegoated by politicians who are falling back on a subject that draws political unanimity.
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