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Senegal arrests hundreds of LGBTQ+ people under toughened anti-gay law

Senegal arrests hundreds of LGBTQ+ people under toughened anti-gay law

Rule Changes

Parliament doubled the maximum sentence to 10 years. A prosecutor in Louga has sent 32 people to trial on charges that include deliberately transmitting HIV.

6 days ago: Six arrested in Dakar suburbs

Overview

Updated 2 days ago

Senegal's parliament doubled the maximum sentence for same-sex relations to 10 years in March and criminalized promoting or financing LGBTQ+ people. Since February, security forces have arrested more than 376 people, according to HIV Justice Network.

On October 30, a prosecutor in Louga sent 32 people to trial on charges including 'acts against nature' and deliberately transmitting HIV, two months after a court dismissed similar HIV charges in another mass case. Police arrested six more people in Dakar's suburbs on November 5, three accused of deliberate HIV transmission; a special hearing for the Louga group is set for November 12. A Human Rights Watch report from October 12 documented forced HIV testing and people going into hiding.

Why it matters

The crackdown is pushing people away from HIV treatment as Senegal hosts the Youth Olympics under a charter that bars discrimination.

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Key Indicators

376+
Arrests since early February
HIV Justice Network monitoring figure; RADDHO counted at least 212 between February and July.
10 years
Maximum sentence for same-sex relations
Doubled from 5 years by the March 11 amendment to article 319 of the penal code.
100+
Charged with voluntary HIV transmission
HIV Justice Network count; Human Rights Watch documented 82.
32
Sent to trial in Louga
Charged with acts against nature and wilful HIV transmission; hearing set for November 12.
135-0
Parliamentary vote to toughen the law
March 11 vote on the amendment, with three abstentions.

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People Involved

Amadu (pseudonym)
Amadu (pseudonym)
Gay man in his 30s who fled Senegal
Fled to a neighboring country
 Anonymous Dakar doctor
Anonymous Dakar doctor
Physician treating HIV patients
Quoted in Human Rights Watch report

Organizations Involved

Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch
International rights group
Published the October 2026 report documenting the crackdown

New York-based group that interviewed detainees, lawyers, doctors, and LGBT people across Senegal for its October 12 report.
AF
African Forum for the Defense of Human Rights (RADDHO)
Dakar-based rights group
Collected arrest data cited in press coverage

Senegalese rights group that recorded at least 212 arrests between February and July 2026.
HIV Justice Network
HIV Justice Network
International monitoring network
Updated its arrest count to more than 376 in early November

Network monitoring HIV-related prosecutions worldwide; its figures put Senegal arrests above 376 since early February.
National Assembly of Senegal
National Assembly of Senegal
Legislative body
Passed the March 2026 amendment to article 319

Unicameral legislature that passed the amendment by a vote of 135 to 0 with three abstentions.

Timeline

December 2025 November 2026

10 events Latest: 6 days ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Six arrested in Dakar suburbs

    Latest Investigative

    The Keur Massar investigation brigade arrested six people in Pikine, Guédiawaye and Yeumbeul. Three tested positive for HIV and face charges including wilful transmission of HIV.

  2. Louga prosecutor sends 32 to trial

    Legal

    The 32 face charges including 'acts against nature,' wilful transmission of HIV, and criminal conspiracy. The investigating judge signed the referral on October 15.

  3. Police arrest four more people in Nguinth

    Investigative

    Police in Nguinth arrested four people in connection with 'acts against nature' charges, according to Senenews.

  4. Guardian reports people going into hiding

    Report

    Guardian reports LGBTQ+ people going into hiding as arrests pass 320 since February, citing the HRW findings.

  5. Human Rights Watch publishes report

    Report

    Report documents forced HIV testing, leaked case files, lawyers refusing cases, and people going into hiding.

  6. Court dismisses HIV transmission charges

    Legal

    In the 99-person case, the court freed 28 people and referred 71 to trial; HIV transmission charges were dropped.

  7. First conviction under amended law

    Legal

    Pikine-Guédiawaye court sentenced a 24-year-old to six years for 'acts against nature' and public indecency.

  8. Parliament toughens article 319

    Legal

    Vote of 135 to 0 doubles the maximum sentence for same-sex relations to 10 years and criminalizes promoting or supporting LGBT people.

  9. Twelve men arrested in Dakar

    Investigative

    Arrests in the capital were followed by escalations in Thiès, Rosso, Saint-Louis, Yeumbeul, and Ziguinchor.

  10. Five men detained in Thiès region

    Investigative

    Security forces detained five men on charges including 'acts against nature' ahead of the law change.

Scenarios

1

Crackdown Deepens as Trials Convict More

Possible Resolves by Mar 11, 2027

Discussed by: Human Rights Watch and local rights groups

Prosecutors have added charges like criminal association, drug trafficking, and deliberate HIV transmission to extend pretrial detention. The 71 defendants referred to trial in August and 32 sent to trial in Louga are the test cases. Judges have been told not to suspend sentences below the minimum, and lawyers say few colleagues will take these cases, so convictions are likely to stick.

2

International Pressure Spurs Partial Rollback

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: Human Rights Watch, citing the Olympic Charter

Senegal hosts the Youth Olympics at the end of October under a charter that bars discrimination. That invites scrutiny from the International Olympic Committee and foreign governments. But the amendment passed 135 to 0 with no major party calling for repeal, so rollback would likely require sustained foreign pressure, as seen in Uganda.

3

HIV Charges Collapse, Easing Detentions

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: HIV Justice Network

The August court ruling dismissed 'deliberate HIV transmission' charges and freed 28 people from the 99-person case. If courts repeat that pattern, HIV status would stop being used to pile on charges. Health workers say that would ease the public health toll, since patients are currently avoiding clinics for fear of forced testing and disclosure.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

January 2014

Nigeria's Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act (2014)

Nigeria's president signed the law in January 2014, banning same-sex marriage, same-sex relationships, and 'public show of same-sex amorous relationships.' It also criminalized running or supporting gay rights organizations, with up to 14 years in prison.

Then

Police arrested dozens of people and raided gatherings; some foreign donors withheld aid in response.

Now

The law remains in force more than a decade later, though enforcement has been uneven across states.

Why this matters now

Nigeria's law was the first major West African template for criminalizing support for LGBTQ+ people, the same mechanism Senegal's March amendment adopts.

May 2023 - April 2024

Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act (2023)

Uganda's parliament passed the law in March 2023 and the president signed it in May. It imposed the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality' and up to 20 years for promoting same-sex relations.

Then

The World Bank suspended new lending and the U.S. imposed visa restrictions and targeted sanctions; arrests rose.

Now

Uganda's Constitutional Court upheld the law in April 2024 but voided provisions that forced landlords to report tenants, showing international pressure can chip the edges without repeal.

Why this matters now

It shows how 'promotion' clauses chill civil society and how foreign pressure yields only partial rollback, a possible model for Senegal's path.

Sources

(9)
+3
The Guardian Human Rights Watch The Washington Post Associated Press HIV Justice Network Seneweb News Africa TrueQueer Gayety