00:01Senegal heavily increased its criminal penalties for same-sex relations on Monday.
00:07The country's president, Bacero Diomay-Faye, signed into law legislation that doubled the prison sentence length for homosexuality to up
00:15to 10 years.
00:17Lawmakers in the National Assembly approved the law with an overwhelming majority.
00:22The new law also provides for three to seven years in prison for those found guilty of promoting or financing
00:30same-sex relationships.
00:32It also punishes those who accuse others of same-sex offenses without proof.
00:38Senegal's gay community and LGBTQ rights groups have reacted with worry.
00:43The new law marks a further step in a governmental crackdown on freedoms for the LGBTQ community.
00:49In February, police detained 12 men, including two local celebrities, and the incident led to further detentions.
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