Senegal's Parliament Approves Harsher Penalties for Same-Sex Relations, Doubling Maximum Prison Term to 10 Years
Senegal's National Assembly has passed a controversial bill that significantly toughens punishments for same-sex relations, doubling the maximum prison sentence from five to 10 years. The legislation, which amends Article 319 of the Penal Code, was approved on March 11, 2026, by an overwhelming majority of 135 votes in favor, with zero votes against and three abstentions. The new law targets what it terms "acts against nature" — referring to consensual same-sex sexual activity — imposing prison terms of five to 10 years, along with substantially higher fines of up to 10 million CFA francs (approximately $17,700). This represents a doubling of the previous penalties, which ranged from one to five years in prison and fines up to 1.5 million CFA francs. In addition, the bill introduces new criminal offenses for promoting, advocating, financing, or "apologizing for" (defending or glorifying) same-sex relations, punishable by three to seven years in prison. Proponen...