Senegal has intensified its crackdown on same-sex relations, with authorities arresting and charging 71 men months after the country increased penalties for homosexual acts.
The public prosecutor’s office said on Friday that the men had been brought before a court on charges of “unnatural acts”.
According to the statement, 28 other defendants had their charges dropped.
More than 100 people have been charged since the tougher law was passed, including local celebrities who were arrested over alleged homosexual acts and, in some cases, suspected deliberate transmission of HIV.
The HIV/AIDS transmission charges have since been dropped.
Senegal is among several West African countries that have introduced or strengthened laws criminalising same-sex relations in recent months.
The latest arrests have drawn renewed attention to the treatment of the LGBT+ community in the region, with activists arguing that the community is increasingly being targeted for political reasons.
They have accused politicians of using homosexuality as an issue that can generate broad public support and consensus.
