“Homosexuals will no longer breathe in this country,” threatened Diaraye Bâ, a member of parliament from African Patriots of Senegal for Labor, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF), the ruling party, on March 11 during the vote on the law that imposed stricter penalties for “acts against nature,” a charge referring to same-sex relations. One month after the bill was enacted – which raises the punishment for homosexuality from one to five years to five to 10 years in prison – the crackdown is well underway.
According to Senegalese media, at least 100 people were arrested across the country within a few weeks, some even before the law took effect on March 30. Dakar, the capital, has emerged as the epicenter of the repression. Since the early February arrests of popular TV presenter Pape Cheikh Diallo and singer Djiby Dramé for “acts against nature,” at least 80 people have been held in detention, local media reported. Some have been accused of deliberately transmitting HIV.
In Linguère, in the Northeast of the country, 22 people suspected of homosexuality were arrested in mid-April. Some were denounced by neighbors, while others were detained after police searches of their mobile phones revealed profiles on dating sites for men. Police have also relied on confessions from suspects in custody.
You have 75.22% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.
