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Loading ...Out of jail, but Senegal gays risk death
04.28.2009 4:28pm EDT
(Dakar) Radio stations and newspapers in Senegal are urging people to attack gays. One station called on listeners to stone anyone suspected of “being a homosexual.”
One of the African country’s largest Islamic groups has issued statements over the past week describing gays as “vicious” and “perverts” and accuses them of spreading HIV/AIDS.This homophobic frenzy follows the release of nine men who had been arrested on charges of homophosexuality.
Senegal is one of 38 countries in Africa that criminalize homosexual acts.
An appeals court in the capital of Dakar overturned jail sentences last week for the nine after they had been convicted by a lower court and sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of ”indecent and unnatural acts” and “forming associations of criminals.”
All nine were involved in HIV-prevention work, their lawyer said.
The arrests came just weeks after Senegal hosted an international AIDS conference that included gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender participants.
Amnesty International called on the government to protect the nine, and other gay men in the country.
“These statements amount to advocacy of hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence,” said Veronique Aubert, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Africa Program.
Amnesty also called for an investigation into allegations of torture and other ill-treatment against the men while they were in custody, and for those responsible to be brought to justice.
The organization has said it is concerned that confessions reported to have been extracted from the men under torture were accepted as evidence by the lower court during their trial.
Over the last two years, Senegal has seen an increase in homophobic attacks, arbitrary arrests and increased hostility towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, same-sex practicing and transgender people Amnesty said.
“The Senegalese authorities must repeal the law criminalizing consensual sexual conduct between people of the same sex, and provide immediate protection for those who may be subject to discrimination or attack on the basis of actual or perceived sexual conduct,” said Aubert.
We need to grant amnesty to these men.
There needs to be an expose’ done on how these laws are being enacted.
I am sure that in many cases Gays are like the Jews in Geramany in the 1930s. Not the real problem but a faux problem / wedge issue to take peoples minds of the real issues.
Tom in Long Beach
There is no reason why this cannot be turned around. Just one strong voice telling gays when and where.
It’s a shame we can’t unite and conquer. There are too many smaller groups and your president doesn’t care if anyone lives or dies.
Let the Dakar gays know we will back them up?
but we won’t. We’ll only make snarky comments.
This is the issue. We aren’t going to help them because they are too far away. What can any of us really do?
Make it better in the US? Well we’d need to actually focus here to change anything and not be talking about Dakar.
Once they start treating women with respect I’m sure the gays will be next.
I have quite a few gay and lesbian African friends (real africans, not USA, 10 generations out of africa type) and they said that the CHURCHES and the Heads of Family (usually poppa or grand poppa type) rule what goes on.
They believe that if a girl is or ACTS like a lesbian then it is ok to have her “raped” into being Hetero and for males they beat the crap out of them and either kill them or send them off to be Priests, ministers, etc. in the churches!
One of the popular church in some of the African Countries are those like Anglican. The Aglican people in 1st world countries don’t realize that the “Assistance” they send to Africa is NOT always used to feed and clothed poor but to persecute LGBT….
Religion is the root of most world evils! It is sad, but true. I don’t think this is what God, Jesus, Mohomand, Buddha or whatever you believe in is about!
Think twice before donating or throwing your dollars into “gift baskets” at church(es) your dollar may be used to beat another LGBT youth somewhere in the world!
why is this all happening? Is it because there is a gay marriage in south africa, or what made all this criminalization of gayness?
and of course american right wing religions are pouring $ into these movements, remember uganda conference.
nope, its a person pretending to be gay, “short for phoney” to see what its like to be subject to persecution in a country full of ignorant people.
john, that’s gay phone sex, don’t ya know
What is homophosexuality?
The scary thing is that Senegal is one of the more stable democracies in Africa.
I wonder how many people will use this as an excuse to get rid of people they don’t like even if they are not gay?
Better they should stone the individuals at these radio stations and newspapers – at least that would be a net GOOD for their society. Truly evil people.