Senegal prosecutes 71 men amid crackdown on same-sex relations
Senegalese prosecutors have referred 71 men to court on charges of 'acts against nature', marking a significant escalation in the government's crackdown on same-sex relations. According to a statement released by the prosecutor's office late on Friday, the defendants were arrested over recent months. Charges against 28 other individuals in the same case have been dropped. In March, Senegal enacted a new law increasing prison sentences for same-sex acts to between five and 10 years. Over the past few months, more than 100 people, including several local public figures, have been detained on suspicion of engaging in same-sex relations. Prosecutors confirmed that initial allegations of 'endangering the lives of others' and 'intentional transmission of HIV' have been removed from the cases of those currently detained. Separately, in February, Senegalese police reported the arrest of 14 people linked to a network accused of the sexual exploitation of minors, a case security sources described as particularly severe. According to reports from the French newspaper Le Figaro, French authorities have arrested the primary suspect, a French businessman. He and several others face charges including the sexual exploitation of individuals under 15 and the intentional transmission of HIV. Senegalese police conducted raids across several cities, including Dakar and Kaolack, to dismantle the network. Four detainees reportedly confessed to acting under the instructions of the primary suspect in exchange for financial payments. These developments occur as several West African nations have recently introduced or strengthened legislation to criminalise same-sex relations.