In Senegal, the Prime Minister desires to toughen penalties in opposition to homosexuality with a brand new invoice | EUROtoday

Ousmane Sonko introduced to MPs on Tuesday February 24 that he had tabled a invoice toughening the penalties for gay relations within the nation. “Any person who commits an unnatural act will be punished with imprisonment of five to ten years”in comparison with one to 5 years in jail presently, declared the Senegalese Prime Minister throughout a query session within the National Assembly.

He indicated that he had despatched the invoice to the Assembly on Monday, which can then need to be submitted to the vote of deputies on an unspecified date. “If the act [homosexuel] is committed with a minor, the maximum sentence will be imposed. The judge will not be able to pronounce the suspended sentence or reduce the imprisonment below the minimum of the sentence provided for.detailed Mr. Sonko.

According to him, one of the new features of the bill is the definition of homosexuality in the penal code: “any sexual or sexual act between two people of the same sex constitutes an unnatural act”affirmed Mr. Sonko. Furthermore, the invoice now plans to sanction “any person who has made the apology” of homosexuality. She “shall be punished by imprisonment of three to seven years”specified Mr. Sonko.

Strong reactions

Senegal, a predominantly Muslim West African nation, has been agitated for a number of weeks by a sequence of arrests – together with these of a number of celebrities – for alleged homosexuality. The authorities introduced on February 17 that it had “considered and adopted” within the Council of Ministers a invoice modifying article 319 of the penal code referring to gay relations.

Previously, the gendarmerie introduced on February 7 the arrest of 12 males, together with two native celebrities, accused specifically “unnatural acts”. Several of these arrested examined HIV optimistic and are accused by the Senegalese authorities of “voluntary transmission of HIV-AIDS through unprotected sexual intercourse and endangering the lives of others”. The native press stories round thirty folks arrested in Senegal since then.

In current years, the query of homosexuality has frequently agitated Senegalese society. Homosexuality can also be usually decried as an instrument utilized by Westerners to impose values ​​supposedly international to the nation’s tradition. Several demonstrations known as by spiritual associations have taken place lately in Senegal to demand harder penalties.