A Senegalese court has sentenced activist Bah Diakhate and Imam Cheikh Ahmed Tidiane Ndao to three months in jail and fined them 100,000 CFA francs ($165) each for “spreading false news” after they accused Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko of tolerating homosexuality. The accusations stemmed from Mr. Sonko allowing French politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon to express support for same-sex marriage, which is illegal in Senegal and attracts up to five years imprisonment, during a student forum in Dakar. Mélenchon’s words hadn’t gone down well with his audience and he had reportedly been booed. Mr. Sonko had thereafter taken to social media to urge Western countries to respect Senegal’s socio-cultural norms regarding LGBTQ rights. He was quoted as saying that homosexuality is “not accepted, but tolerated” in Senegal. Following the incident, several religious figures and activists, including Ndao and Diakhate, spoke out against him for his perceived tolerance of homosexuality.
SOURCE: BBC