Senegal Prime Minister Defends New Law on Same-Sex Acts

Senegal's prime minister addressed the National Assembly on Friday and defended legislation that increases penalties for same-sex sexual acts. Ousmane Sonko said the measures respond to what he described as external pressure. "There is a kind of tyranny.

There are eight billion human beings in the world, but there is a small nucleus called the West which, because it has resources and controls the media, wants to impose it [homosexuality] on the rest of the world," Sonko said.

The law, which came into effect in late March, doubles the prison sentence for same-sex sexual acts from five years to 10. " United Nations Human Rights chief Volker Turk had urged President Bassirou Diomaye Faye not to enact the legislation. "This law exposes people to hate crimes, abuse, arbitrary arrests, blackmail and widespread discrimination in education, health, employment and housing," Turk said.

The legislation coincides with an increase in arrests of gay people in Senegal. " Human Rights Watch called on the government to protect LGBTQ rights and release those arrested. Senegal is one of many African nations to adopt harsher anti-LGBTQ laws in recent years. Sixty-five countries worldwide criminalise same-sex relations, more than half of them in Africa.