{"id":30515,"date":"2026-02-26T05:16:21","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T10:16:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=30515"},"modified":"2026-02-26T05:16:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T10:16:21","slug":"senegal-pm-proposes-tougher-anti-lgbt-law-doubling-prison-terms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2026\/02\/26\/senegal-pm-proposes-tougher-anti-lgbt-law-doubling-prison-terms\/","title":{"rendered":"Senegal PM proposes tougher anti-LGBT law, doubling prison terms"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has introduced legislation that could double the maximum penalty for same-sex relations, making them punishable by up to 10 years in prison.<\/b><\/p>\n

The proposal was sent to parliament on Tuesday after cabinet approval last week, after a wave of arrests over alleged same-sex relationships, already banned under Senegal law.<\/p>\n

Addressing lawmakers, Sonko said the bill would punish what it describes as “acts against nature” with prison sentences ranging from five to 10 years, compared with the current one- to five-year terms.<\/p>\n

“If an act is committed with a minor, it will attract the maximum penalty,” he said. The bill has been criticised by rights advocates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Debate over LGBT rights has long generated tension in Senegal, a conservative country where some groups portray pro-LGBT activism as foreign interference.<\/p>\n

Religious organisations have held demonstrations in recent years calling for harsher punishments.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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