Lawmakers in Senegal have passed a controversial bill that significantly increases penalties for same-sex relations and criminalizes activities seen as promoting homosexuality.
The bill was approved late Wednesday by the National Assembly of Senegal with 135 votes in favour, none against, and three abstentions. The legislation now awaits the signature of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to become law.
If enacted, the new law would double the maximum prison sentence for same-sex sexual acts from five years to 10 years and raise fines to as much as 10 million CFA francs.
Senegal’s penal code already included provisions criminalising what it described as “acts against nature,” a clause first introduced decades ago and last amended in 1966.
The newly passed bill strengthens those penalties and limits the discretion of judges by preventing suspended sentences or reductions below the minimum punishment.
The legislation was introduced under the administration that took office in 2024, led by President Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, fulfilling a campaign pledge to tighten restrictions around such acts.
The bill also extends penalties to individuals accused of promoting or financing activities related to homosexuality.
Religious leaders and conservative groups have welcomed the move. Imam Babacar Sylla, leader of the civil society network, And Samm Jikko Yi, called on the president to sign the bill into law quickly, arguing that delays could complicate its implementation.
In the weeks leading up to the vote, supporters of the legislation — including members of the ruling African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF) party — organised demonstrations in Dakar, where protesters carried placards opposing homosexuality.
Human rights organisations have also reported an increase in arrests linked to alleged “acts against nature.”
According to the International Federation for Human Rights, at least 27 men were arrested between February 9 and 24 in cases tied to such allegations, as well as suspected “voluntary transmission” of HIV, which carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years under Senegalese law.
