A recent report highlights an intensification of crackdowns on LGBTQ+ community in Senegal, marked by mass arrests, mandatory HIV testing, and restricted access to legal representation.
According to findings from the HIV Justice Network cited in a Human Rights Watch report, over 320 people have been detained and imprisoned since February on allegations of “acts against nature,” with at least 84 individuals additionally charged with “voluntary HIV transmission” solely on the basis of their HIV status.
This escalation in persecution coincides with the tightening of the nation’s anti-homosexuality legislation; on March 11, the Senegalese parliament doubled the maximum prison sentence for consensual same-sex acts to ten years.
The new law imposed fines of 500,000 to 5 million CFA francs (£650–£6,500) and a maximum seven-year prison sentence for endorsing homosexuality or providing financial support to LGBTQ+ individuals and organizations.
Larissa Kojoué, LGBTQ+ rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, said: “LGBTQ+ people are being forced to curb their normal activities … for fear of arrest and increased stigma. Senegal’s government should call a halt to this crackdown, which threatens everyone’s rights.”
Human Rights Watch interviewed members of the LGBTQ+ community who reported that the intensified crackdown has generated widespread fear, anxiety, and depression. Many individuals have relocated, limited their daily movements, gone into hiding, or fled the country entirely.
Backstory…
Although Senegal criminalized same-sex relationships in 1965, hostility toward the LGBTQ+ community has surged in recent times.
Both President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, following his 2024 election victory, and former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko previously campaigned on promises to make the strict criminalization of same-sex conduct a top national priority.
The situation escalated in late 2025 and early 2026, as security forces detained suspected LGBTQ+ individuals. At least five men were detained in the Thiès region in December 2025, followed by the arrest of 12 men in Dakar in February 2026 on charges that included “acts against nature” and alleged intentional HIV transmission.
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