By Lydia Polgreen for The New York Times 1/8/09:
DAKAR, Senegal — Nine men were handed harsh sentences of eight years in prison after being tried on charges of conspiracy and “unnatural acts,” a term used to criminalize homosexuality, according to their lawyers and gay rights groups here on Thursday.
The men were arrested on Dec. 19 at the home of Diadji Diouf, a prominent gay activist who works with AIDS organizations to prevent the spread of the disease in the largely clandestine gay community in Senegal, according to Jöel Nana, a program associate for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.
Mr. Diouf, who was among those arrested and sentenced, runs an organization that provides condoms and counseling to gay men in Senegal, a largely Muslim country that has become increasingly intolerant of homosexuality in recent years despite its reputation for liberalism and openness. The arrests took place just a few weeks after a conference on AIDS in Africa was held in Dakar.
Antigay sentiment has been on the rise across Africa in recent years. Nigeria’s Parliament tried to pass a law last year that would restrict the rights of homosexuals to even meet to discuss their rights. Gambia’s president threatened to behead any homosexuals found in his country. And even in Senegal, one of the most liberal and tolerant countries in Islamic Africa, tensions over homosexuality have been on the rise.
Last year, a group of men were arrested after a magazine printed photographs of what purported to be a gay wedding. One of the men who was arrested, a popular singer, was forced to flee the country and seek asylum in the United States.
Mr. Nana, speaking in an interview from Cape Town, said that such episodes were extremely worrying and symptomatic of a growing problem.
“It is really sending the wrong message to a community that needs help and protection,” he said.
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