In a landmark and deeply concerning ruling that marks a turning point for LGBTQ+ rights in West Africa, a Senegalese court has handed down the first conviction under a controversial new legislation that drastically escalates criminal penalties for same-sex relations between consenting adults. \n\nThe conviction was issued Friday by a court in Pikine-Guédiawaye, a densely populated suburb of the Senegalese capital Dakar. The defendant, a 24-year-old laborer whose identity has not been released to the public, was arrested earlier this month on charges of “acts against nature and public indecency.” Following the hearing, the judge sentenced him to six years of imprisonment and ordered a fine of 2 million CFA francs, equivalent to roughly 3,300 U.S. dollars.\n\nAs a majority-Muslim nation of 17 million people, Senegal joins a growing wave of African countries that have moved in recent years to enact harsher restrictions targeting members of the LGBTQ+ community. The new law, enacted earlier this year, raises baseline prison sentences for same-sex activity to a range of five to 10 years, a major increase from the previous penalty structure.\n\nBeyond criminalizing consensual same-sex relations, the legislation also introduces punitive measures for what the text describes as the “promotion” or “financing” of homosexuality. Rights advocates widely view this provision as a deliberate attempt to shut down civil society organizations that provide support, legal aid, and healthcare access to sexual and gender minorities across the country.\n\nIn an interview with the Associated Press on Monday, Larissa Kojoué, a researcher with global rights organization Human Rights Watch, warned that the new law has already fostered a pervasive atmosphere of “constant fear” for LGBTQ+ Senegalese. Kojoué added that law enforcement arrests targeting queer people have become far more aggressive, noting that officers now operate with explicit backing from the country’s state apparatus.\n\nThe conviction in Senegal fits into a broader, disturbing pattern of anti-LGBTQ+ policy across the African continent. Currently, more than half of the continent’s 54 sovereign nations — 32 in total — retain laws that criminalize consensual same-sex sexual acts. In several countries, including Somalia, Uganda, and Mauritania, individuals convicted of homosexual acts can legally be sentenced to death.