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Senegal introduces legislation to boost minimum sentence for homosexuality to 5 years

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal ‘s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko introduced legislation in parliament Tuesday that would toughen the prison term for homosexuality in the West African nation to at least five years from the current minimum of one year.

The bill also seeks to broaden the scope of what is defined as “unnatural acts” under the law that has criminalized homosexuality in the conservative country since its independence from France in 1960. But the legislation would not elevate the crime from the current level as a misdemeanor.

“We can achieve the intended objectives without going so far as to elevate the acts” to the level of more serious crimes, Sonko said.

Human rights groups in Senegal say the situation for gay people in the country has been deteriorating since 2018, and that at least a dozen people have been arrested in recent weeks over allegations of homosexuality.

The legislation fulfills one of Sonko’s campaign promises and now needs to be passed in the National Assembly, where Sonko’s PASTEF party is in control.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

By WTOP Staff
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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