Senegal charges 32 as LGBTQ crackdown widens

Senegalese authorities said Friday that 32 people arrested in recent months amid a crackdown on homosexuality have been charged with "unnatural acts" and "wilful transmission" of HIV.

The public prosecutor for the northern Louga region announced the charges, which come in addition to 71 other people already facing trial.

Senegal passed a law in March doubling prison sentences for same-sex relations from five years to 10 years. Hundreds of people, mainly men and some local celebrities, have been arrested in recent months, with some accused of deliberately transmitting HIV.

The regional prosecutor's office said the latest case would be heard at a special hearing, but did not give a date.

Ahead of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, Human Rights Watch called on Senegal to stop what it described as the "brutal repression" of LGBTQ people. The Games are due to run from October 31 to November 13 and will bring 2,700 young athletes to Senegal.

Human Rights Watch said the crackdown violates rights, increases fear and stigma, and should end immediately. The group also cited the Olympic Charter's ban on discrimination and requirement that participants' human rights be respected.

Several West African countries have recently passed laws criminalising homosexuality. Around 20 of Africa's 54 countries do not criminalise homosexuality.