Convictions overturned for Senegal gays

[ccharles000]

(Dakar) An appeals court in the Senegal capital of Dakar overturned jail sentences Monday for nine men convicted on charges of homosexuality.

They were sentenced in January 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.

Senegal, a primarily Muslim nation in West Africa, is one of 38 countries on the continent that criminalize homosexual acts. South Africa prompted continent-wide controversy in 2006 when it became the first African country to legalize gay marriage.

At the trial of the nine, the prosecution argued that the AIDS organization they were associated with was a front recruiting men into homosexuality.

Police officers burst into the private residence of an HIV outreach worker where the nine were allegedly holding a meeting. Police confiscated condoms and lubricants - tools used for HIV-prevention work.

The police allegedly forced several of the men to disclose family members’ phone numbers and threatened to inform their families. Sources told Human Rights Watch that the men were beaten in detention.

http://www.365gay.com/news/convictions-overturned-for-senegal-gays/

[ccharles000]

1. kick

[dionysus]

2. good news

:thumbsup: