On August 7, Senegal’s public prosecutor’s office confirmed that 71 men accused of having same-sex relations had been arrested and brought before a court, under the charge of “unnatural acts”. The prosecutor also confirmed that charges against a further 28 defendants had been dropped.

The arrests come months after Senegal’s parliament approved legislation doubling the maximum prison sentence for same-sex sexual activity from five to 10 years. The law was passed in March with an overwhelming majority and was subsequently signed by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

The legislation also introduced prison sentences of between three and seven years for the “promotion” or “financing” of homosexuality. According to Africa News, more than 100 people have been charged since the law was passed. Among those arrested are several local celebrities, who were reportedly detained on suspicion of homosexual acts and, in some cases, accused of “deliberately transmitting HIV”. The HIV-related charges have since been dropped.

Additionally, the law introduced penalties for anyone who accuses another person of same-sex relationships without “proof”.

The latest arrests follow an early indication that the intensified legislation would be enforced forcibly and swiftly. In April, a court in Pikine-Guédiawaye, a suburb of Dakar, convicted a 24-year-old man of “acts against nature and public indecency”. On April 10, he was sentenced to six years in prison and fined $3,300, in what was reported as the first conviction under the new law.

Human rights organisations have condemned Senegal’s approach, warning that the legislation is contributing to an increasingly hostile environment for LGBTQ+ people.

Speaking to the Associated Press, Human Rights Watch researcher Larissa Kojoué said the law had created a climate of “constant fear” for LGBTQ+ people in Senegal. She also said arrests had intensified “because now there is backing from the state apparatus.”

She wrote: “Criminalising same‑sex conduct and arresting people for their sexual orientation or gender expression violates multiple internationally protected rights, including to equality and nondiscrimination.”