18th February 2008 11:45
PinkNews.co. uk staff writer
Gangs of protestors clashed with riot police in Dakar on Friday after a
magazine published photos of an alleged wedding between two men.
Newspapers and radio stations in the Senegalese capital have been filled
with stories about the arrest and release of several men after tabloid
magazine Icone ran the photos in their February edition.
Friday’s demonstration, which took place in front of Dakar’s main mosque,
had initially been authorised by police, but they changed their mind and
used tear gas to disperse the crowd, who blockaded roads and burned piles of
rubbish.
Public reaction in the mainly Muslim former French colony has been
stridently anti-homosexual.
“The police wanted to ban the march,” demonstrator Landing Goudiaby told
Reuters.
“Homosexuals are not welcome in our country. They’re not tolerated in
Senegal.”
Several men were arrested on suspicion of homosexuality following the
publication of photographs of a “marriage ceremony” between two Senegalese
men. They were later released.
Senegal is one of the few Francophone African countries that penalises
homosexuality.
Homosexual acts are punishable by imprisonment of between one and five years
and a fine of 100,000 to 1,500,000 CFA francs.
While there are occasional arrests and convictions of gay men in Senegal,
social stigma and blackmail are the most prevalent abuses faced by gay men
in the country.
