�We don�t need a law based on emotions that fills up our prisons This article first appeared May 6th on 76crimes.com. It was translated into English from the website of� the French� LGBTQ rights group�Stop Homophobie�: It was written...

�We don�t need a law based on emotions that fills up our prisons

This article first appeared May 6th on 76crimes.com. It was translated into English from the website of� the French� LGBTQ rights group�Stop Homophobie�: It was written by MO�SE MANO�L-FLORISSE

Senegal President Macky Sall (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

On Friday, April 28, Senegal�s Parliament rejected a series of proposals, including a text that would toughen the criminalization of homosexuality, already punishable by one to five years in prison and a fine (Article 319 of the Penal Code, dating from 1966).

The initiative was supported by the opposition, which denounced �a mechanical majority blockade� after years of advocacy and intense lobbying by religious groups, including �And Samm Jikko� (�Together to Safeguard Values�). Founded by the Islamist [advocacy group] Jamra, the group called for a new law against what it considers �unnatural� acts.

But, as stated by the office of the Assembly, since the acts in question are already banned, this bill, which is �insignificant in reality�, is �inadmissible�. �It brings nothing to the public debate�, and if it had been voted, �it would have no impact�, on the contrary. And it is �neither courageous nor relevant� to do so, given the social situation of the country.

�We don�t need a law based on emotions that fills up our prisons,� insisted a legislator from President Macky Sall�s majority party.

Parliament had already rejected a similar bill in January 2022, which would have doubled the penalties for homosexuality from 5 to 10 years in prison, with a fine of up to 5 million CFA francs (more than 6,600 euros) and without the possibility of exceptions for mitigating circumstances. The text also targeted �lesbianism, bisexuality, transsexuality, intersexuality, zoophilia, necrophilia�� as similar practices.

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