Friday, January 23, 2009

Senegal Jails 9 Men For Homosexuality

Nine gay men in Dakar, Senegal, were jailed for eight years Jan. 6 for the crimes of having gay sex and belonging to a “criminal association,” an HIV-services group.

On Dec. 19, police raided the apartment of gay leader Diadji Diouf, arrested him and the other men, and confiscated condoms and lubricants. The men were taken to a police station and held until Dec. 24, then transferred to a detention center, where they were held until trial. Human Rights Watch said the men were beaten while in custody.

The men received the maximum five-year sentence for engaging in what the Penal Code calls “an improper or unnatural act with a person of the same sex” and three additional years for being members of the HIV-services organization AIDES Sénégal, the “criminal association.”

Read More At San Francisco Bay Times

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