Anti-LGBT repression continues in Senegal, where 32 people have been referred to a court for “acts against nature”. These new prosecutions come as Dakar hosts the 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
The anti-LGBT+ crackdown continues in Senegal. In the north of the country, the prosecutor for the Louga region announced on Friday, October 30, the referral to the correctional court of 32 people accused notably of “acts against nature” and of “voluntary transmission of HIV”. They are also charged with “criminal association”, “endangering the life of others”, “illegal collection of personal data” and “sexual harassment”. According to the Senegalese media Seneweb, their trial is to be held at a special hearing on November 12.
These new prosecutions add to those targeting 71 men referred in August to a Dakar court, after a wave of arrests for alleged homosexuality. In that prior case, the justice system abandoned the charges of voluntary HIV transmission for lack of evidence, without renouncing the prosecutions for “acts against nature”. Since the start of the year, several hundred people have been arrested in this West African country where the crackdown on homosexuality has intensified considerably since March, when a new law doubling the penalties for same-sex relations was adopted.
Olympic showcase for Dakar
These new indictments were announced on the eve of the opening of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, the first Olympic event held on the African continent and which, for two weeks, will host about 2,700 young athletes competing in 25 disciplines. The Senegalese president Bassirou Diomaye Faye celebrated with pride the hosting of this historic competition, praising on X the “hospitality” of Senegal and congratulating after the opening ceremony: “Authentic Senegal! What a people! What a culture! Tonight, we have shown the world the beauty of what we are.” The day before, the French actor Omar Sy participated in the Olympic flame relay in the Senegalese capital.
On the eve of these Games, Human Rights Watch (HRW) had urged the Senegalese authorities to end the persecutions, reminding that the Olympic Charter prohibits any discrimination and commits host countries to respect human rights. In a report published on October 12, the NGO denounces in particular forced HIV testing, barriers to the rights of the defense, and the denial of care caused by repression. A contrast denounced by Jean-Luc Romero-Michel, president of Elected Local Officials Against AIDS. In a reaction posted on X, the activist recalled that “the Olympic celebration cannot serve as a showcase for impunity”, calling not to turn a blind eye to repression: “The Olympic spirit is not negotiable. Human dignity either.”
