At Least 40 People Arrested in Niger After New Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws Go Into Effect
Same-sex relations in the country can now be punished by up to 10 years in prison and a huge fine.
The West African country of Niger is seeing what local advocates say is a “witch-hunt” against the LGBTQ+ community after a new penal code banning homosexuality was passed earlier this year.
About 40 people have been arrested and 16 imprisoned so far over the new laws, according to local media, The Guardian reports.
The code states that “indecent or unnatural acts” and “sexual relations with a person of the same sex” are to be punished with up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to 100 million West African CFA francs (more than $170,000). It’s the first time the country has criminalized homosexuality.
Additionally, those witnessing or organizing a same-sex marriage can face up to 20 years in prison. Anyone who supports an LGBTQ+ related organization will face 20 years in prison plus a fine.
“With the recent witch-hunt, and these arrests that are taking place, the climate here is truly toxic,” one person who worked with local HIV health organizations told the outlet. “LGBTQ+ populations are keeping a low profile and have gone into hiding because they are at risk. We have lost contact with many and the recent arrests have exacerbated tensions.”
It’s one of several African countries to have recently passed anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Mali and Burkina Faso have introduced such laws over the last two years, the Guardian notes. Uganda, Senegal, and Ghana have all strengthened such laws. Anti-LGBTQ+ laws across the continent are rooted in colonial law and have been supported in recent years by Christian nationalists globally, including from the U.S.
Political scientist and pan-African activist Larissa Kojoué told the outlet that leaders are using the LGBTQ+ community as scapegoats.
“They claim ‘African values’, sovereignty and culture, all the while happily undermining human rights for people,” she said. “There is no culture that encourages violence against innocent people, or that doesn’t hold perpetrators of violence accountable. But on the [African] continent you can do whatever you want with LGBTQ+ people and get away with it.”
The Guardian’s source said that the penal code will now put more people at risk of HIV after many health organizations shuttered due to the laws.
“When people go into hiding, we won’t see them and they won’t be able to protect themselves. So you see the impact [this penal code] has. We are truly saddened by it,” they said.
