Senegal, one of the few African countries that respects human rights, has taken a step back. On January 8, 2009, nine homosexuals were sentenced to eight years in prison for "indecent conduct, unnatural acts and membership in a criminal organization." The former French colony is one of the 38 countries on the continent that punish consensual same-sex relations, but the law, which carries a fine of 150 to 250 euros and a prison sentence of one to five years, has never been strictly enforced. This time, the judge was harsh, increasing the sentence requested by the prosecution to five years, adding three years for the criminal conspiracy charge.
Among those convicted was Diadji Diouf, one of the LGBT leaders (the group that brings together lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people).
Diouf, who was arrested on December 19 with eight other people, is involved in an organization fighting AIDS.
In February 2008, a woman and 10 men were arrested in Dakar after photographs taken at a gay wedding were published in a magazine. The authorities widely publicized the arrest, provoking a strong reaction among the population (overwhelmingly Muslim) against homosexuals. Strongly homophobic slogans appeared on more conservative websites: «"Killing a homosexual is not a sin" or "They should all be wiped off the face of the Earth"». "What is incomprehensible," a priest who has lived in Senegal for years explained to Corriere, "is the attitude of President Abdoulaye Wade, a liberal and progressive. At the Islamic Conference summit in Dakar last March, he launched a campaign against gay marriage.
Perhaps some rich, homophobic fundamentalist country had a hand (and money) in this "conversion""