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UK Threatens to Deport Gay Man to Senegal, Demands More "Proof"

The UK Border Authority has threatened to deport a gay man to Senegal unless he can "prove" his sexuality.

Twenty-six-year-old Serigne Tacko Mbengue is a college student and activist leader for the National Union of Students. Mbengue fled his homeland in 2008 to escape homophobic persecution but the appeal process continues "because the Home Office doesn't believe he is gay," reports The Guardian.

Mbengue says: "I'm a very outspoken gay man. I'm not going back to Senegal. If I do, I will be a dead body."

Mbengue's lawyer, Hani Zubedei, says they have all the evidence necessary, including credible witnesses and a medical record that shows he was tortured. "But the Home Office "doubts him on credibility grounds", adds Zubeidi. They won't issue him a status document – which would give him the legal right to live and work in the UK – until he has proved his sexuality....

His prominence has brought repercussions however. Shortly before Christmas, Mbengue was attacked in London by a group of Senegalese men. The group taunted him with homophobic chanting and punched him. [A supporter] says: "If he can be attacked in Britain, then how can he be safe in Senegal?"

This is not the first time the UKBA has dismissed accounts of homophobic violence or torture in Africa. Authorities have previously threatened to deport gay asylum seekers to Uganda, Cameroon, Tanzania and other nations.

Recent weeks have seen an escalation in anti-gay hysteria in the West African nation. A gay couple was viciously beaten when one of the men's parents reportedly caught them having sex. Senegalese media has reportedly used the inci launch another round of anti-gay hysteria in the largely Islamic nation.

In April and May 2009, you may recall a number of stories on bloodthirsty, state-sanctioned anti-gay lynch mobs that swept Senegal. One of the more despicable reports concerned the body of a man suspected to have been gay that was exhumed twice from a cemetery.  A 17-year-old accused of being gay by neighbors was sentenced to two years in prison in 2009.

Senegal is one of at least 38 of Africa's 54 nations that currently have laws penalizing same-sex relations or even sexuality. Under Article 3.913 of the Senegalese penal code, "homosexual acts are punishable by imprisonment of between one and five years" and a fine of up to $3,000.  Four African nations—Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan—boast the death penalty for gays or same-sex activity. South Africa and Seychelles are the only African nations that protect LGBT rights. South Africa is also the only African nation to guarantee marriage equality.

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SENEGAL: Gay Couple Brutally Assaulted by Parents

Very troubling news to report from the beautiful West African nation of Senegal. A gay couple was viciously beaten when one of the men's parents caught them having sex, according to Gay Star News. The men were later outed in Senegalese media, which has reportedly used the incident to launch another round of anti-gay hysteria in the largely Islamic nation.

The two were making love [at one of their homes in a suburb of Dakar] when his parents returned and caught them at the act on Thursday 27 December. The parents reportedly brutally attacked and beat up the two men. [He] has not been seen since the incident by his family and has reportedly fled elsewhere.

Senegalese media has reported the event replete with anti-gay hate language, describing them as ‘fags’ acting ‘against nature’, and condemning them for not hesitating to control their ‘nature’. The [Senegalese Senxibar portal] wrote that the suburb of ‘Guédiawaye is in shock’ and its inhabitants ‘incensed’. ... The portal went on to remind the readers how recently other ‘fags’ were caught in the act and punished by the law for their ‘acts against nature’.

The well-known Senegalese journalist Tamsir Jupiter Ndiaye was sentenced to four years in prison for homosexuality and battery last October. Ndiaye was arrested after getting into a fight with his male partner. "The court says that Ndiaye used a knife and stabbed his partner in the stomach. The court sentenced Ndiaye's partner to two years in prison," reports the Associated Press.

In April and May 2009, you may recall a number of stories on bloodthirsty, state-sanctioned anti-gay lynch mobs that swept Senegal. One of the more despicable reports concerned the body of a man suspected to have been gay that was exhumed twice from a cemetery.  A 17-year-old accused of being gay by neighbors was sentenced to two years in prison in 2009.

Senegal is one of at least 38 of Africa's 54 nations that currently have laws penalizing same-sex relations or even sexuality. Under Article 3.913 of the Senegalese penal code, "homosexual acts are punishable by imprisonment of between one and five years" and a fine of up to $3,000.  Four African nations—Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan—boast the death penalty for gays or same-sex activity. South Africa and Seychelles are the only African nations that protect LGBT rights. South Africa is also the only African nation to guarantee marriage equality.

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Senegal Riot Police Fire Tear Gas at Hundreds
Senegal Releases Five Arrested at "Gay Wedding"
Senegal Condemned After Arrests of Gay Men

Africa's Anti-Gay Laws a Key Focus at ICASA 2011 in Addis Ababa

ADDIS ABABA: The legal status of men who have sex with men (MSM) and the criminalization of HIV transmission across Africa was discussed in several plenary sessions at the 16th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The trend was also the focus of several key sessions, including the standing room only "Key Populations on HIV/AIDS: LGBT."

The Tuesday, December 6 panel was moderated by Jim Pickett of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and Paul Perchal of Canada's of EngenderHealth. The panelists included South Africa's Zoe Duby of the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation and Joel Nana of the African Men for Sexual Health and Rights—read our interview from AIDS 2010 in Vienna.

Duby is in charge of the Tutu Foundation's MSM Sensitivity Training for Health Care Workers. She presented an overview of the legal landscape for African MSM: "African is the continent with the harshest laws when it comes to homosexuality and other sexual minorities. Thirty-eighty African nations have laws criminalizing homosexuality. Four nations—Mauritania, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan—boast the death penalty for same-sex activity."

Although a number of nations such as Burundi, Cameroon, Nigeria and Uganda have proposed harsher penalties for same-sex relations, there have been some improvements. "Fourteen nations have included MSM in national strategic HIV/AIDS plans," said Duby. "And there is an emerging MSM movement in almost every nation ... as well as regional movements such as AMSHeR.

AMSHer's Joel Nana welcomed support from American and European activitists—but reminded everyone that Africans should take the lead in addresing African problems. "As the African LGBT movement, we cannot work alone," said the attorney and human rights activist. "We have to work together. But when there is an issue with Nigeria, for instance, who usually issues the statements and protests? They are in London and New York. ... Why aren't African LGBTs consulted before these actions?"

Nana and several Nigerian MSM activists in the audience referenced recent anti-Nigerian protests in New York and London. "If anything, that's made the situation worse," said one African activist in the audience. "If those Nigerians in the diaspora feel so strongly, why not return to Nigeria and do something?"

As was the case at most MSM sessions throughout ICASA 2011, the Q&A session was interrupted several times by anti-gay and religious audience members.

Nana and AMSHeR organized a one-day MSM pre-conference on the eve of ICASA 2011. The meeting was forced to change its venue after Ethiopian religious leaders demanded its cancellation at ugly press conference. The MSM pre-con was re-scheduled to a secure location at one of the United Nations compounds. Christian and Islamic clergy and faithful demonstrated across the street from the new location.

You May Want to Read:
Ethiopian Religious Leaders Protest Gay Meeting
AIDS 2010: Joel Nana on African MSM

WIKILEAKS: Gambian Leader Confirms Threat to "Cut Off the Head" of "Any Homosexual"

The President of The Gambia confirmed making violent anti-gay threats, such as vowing to "cut off the head" of "any homosexual"—but dismissed them as rhetoric and insisted he was "not a monster." That according to a series of confidential State Department cables leaked by WikiLeaks and released in the Spanish newspaper El Pais (translation).

Read the cable HERE.

The February 2010 meeting between American Ambassador Barry L. Wells and President Yahya Jammeh reveal the American government was concerned about extreme homophobic statements from the West African leader, such as the decapitation threat and an order for all homosexuals to leave the country.

"Yes I did make those comments but did I actually cut off anyone's head? Have I ever arrested anyone for being gay? No, but Senegal has arrested and imprisoned someone for being gay and they receive the [Millennium Development Goals]. There are gays here in The Gambia, I know that. But they live in secret and that is fine with me, as long as long as they go about their business in private we don't mind. But if you are talking about marrying in this country, that will never happen. We will never accept gays."

The reference to neighboring Senegal was to the December 2008 arrest of eight gay HIV/AIDS activists. After being sentenced to eight years hard labor for "indecent conduct and unnatural acts", the convictions were overturned in April 2009.

"The dozens of cables sent to Washington by diplomats on the continent [show] homophobia is rampant in the streets and government offices in Africa," reports El Pais.

Jammeh also threatened to fire all gay and lesbian officers serving in the military.

The Gambian dictator's private comments are similar to those by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni—whose 25-year term was extended over the weekend—who also dismissed extreme anti-gay public statements. 

Some Background  ...
Gambian Pres. Threatens to "Cut Off the Head" of Homosexuals
UN Rep Expelled After Doubting President's AIDS "Cure"
Gambian President Can Cure "HIV"
WIKILEAKS: Cables Show Ugandan Mockery of Kato

REPORT: Anti-Gay Attacks Rise in Africa, Christian Evangelism Blamed

State-sponsored anti-gay terror and extremism is soaring across Africa, much of it fueled by fundamentalism and Christian evangelism, finds a new report by Human Rights Watch. "The overall trend appears to be a hardening of legislation against lesbians, gay men, transgender people and bisexuals. Their lifestyles are already, in different ways, listed as criminal in 37 countries [in Africa]," adds The Guardian.

In addition to Uganda's extreme Anti Homosexuality Bill, which would execute those convicted of "aggravated homosexuality", a new report by Human Rights Watch documents many of the anecdotal stories covered by R20 recently:

The prime ministers of Zimbabwe and Kenya, where moves to table new constitutions have dominated the political scene this year, have seen fit to denounce homosexuality as part of their attempts to position themselves favourably with socially conservative groups.

In Senegal, a 95-page report published by Human Rights Watch last month includes interviews with dozens of people who have faced violence and threats at the hands of police and others. HRW decided to carry out the survey after a 2008 "outing'' campaign by gossip magazine Icone. Gay men's graves have been desecrated and in December 2008 nine gay Aids activists were jailed for eight years, though they were later released.

HRW refers to Senegalese homophobia as "institutionalised'', pointing out that the Muslim country's law criminalising consensual same-sex relationships invites abuse against non-heterosexuals and jars with the country's constitution.

South Africa, where the end of apartheid in 1994 led to the creation of a constitution that recognises same-sex partnerships and condemns discrimination, seems to be backtracking on gay rights. A number of homophobic attacks have made headlines, including the township practice of "corrective'' gang rape of lesbians. The evangelical Family Policy Institute is currently running a vociferous campaign against the city of Cape Town for promoting itself as a gay-friendly holiday destination.

One week ago, the United Nations voted to restore a reference to sexual orientation dropped last month from a resolution opposing the unjustified killing of minority groups. The removal was at the urging of African and Arab countries last month.

Adds Monica Mbaru, Africa coordinator for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission in Cape Town: "It has never been harder for gays and lesbians on the continent."

Read the full report published by Human Rights Watch ...

Anti-Gay Mobs in Senegal Desecrate Graves and Exhume Dead Gays

In April and May 2009, you'll recall a number of stories on bloodthirsty, state-sanctioned anti-gay lynch mobs that swept  Senegal. One of the more despicable stories concerned the body of a man suspected to have been gay that was exhumed twice from a cemetery. Madieye Diallo's (pictured) body was dumped in front of the family home. Even more heartbreaking:  Diallo died because he stopped taking his HIV medication when he was in hiding during one of the homophobic witchhunts. This was after tabloids published photos of him and others at a gay wedding.

The Associated Press revisits that tragedy and finds even after death, gays continue to be terrorized in Senegal and graves are regularly being desecrated:

"To the long list of abuse meted out to suspected homosexuals in Africa, Senegal has added a new form of degradation — the desecration of their bodies. In the past two years, at least four men suspected of being gay have been exhumed by angry mobs in cemeteries in Senegal. The violence is especially shocking because Senegal, unlike other countries in the region, is considered a model of tolerance. 'It's jarring to see this happen in Senegal,' says Ryan Thoreson, a fellow at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission who has been researching the rise of homophobia here. 'When something like this happens in an established democracy, it's alarming.' Even though homosexuality is illegal in Senegal, colonial documents indicate the country has long had a clandestine gay community. In many towns, they were tacitly accepted, says Cheikh Ibrahima Niang, a professor of social anthropology at Senegal's largest university. In fact, the visibility of gays in Senegal may have helped to prompt the backlash against them."

To add insult to injury, the exhumation and desecration of Madieye Diallo was videotaped via mobile phones and posted online.

"The shaky image shows a group of men jerking around the edges of the grave. One of them straddles the pit and shovels away the fine gray dirt until you can see the shrouded body. It's still inside the trough when they tie a rope around its feet. They yank it out, cheering as the body bends over the lip of the grave. The shroud catches on the ground and tears off, revealing the dead man's torso. Rassul Djitte, 48, watched from behind the wall of a nearby school. He had not known Diallo personally, but says he felt a stab. ''People were rejoicing,' he says. 'They dragged him past me and his body left tracks in the sand. Like a car passing through snow.'"

Diallo's body was exhumed and desecrated the same week Senegalese media and Muslim leaders urged citizens to attack gays. One local youth leader told Dakar's L'Observeur: "The homosexuals will not escape lynching. They will be fish food."

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Senegal: 2 Teens Convicted and Another Accused of Gay Sex

Even teenagers cannot escape the state sanctioned wave of anti-gay hysteria in Senegal.

"The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and Inner Circle are outraged at reports that a 17 year-old Senegalese man will stand trial on August 24 for sexual acts 'against nature' and that two other men were convicted on identical charges during the week of August 10, 2009. The three men, all from the town of Darou Mousty, in Louga, Senegal, were arrested and detained for alleged same-sex relations on June 19, 2009, together with a fourth man whose status is currently unknown. The first two men were sentenced to two and five years in prison respectively. Reports indicate that denunciations from neighbors were the only evidence against the men. These are the latest in a pattern of arbitrary arrests and detentions based on perceived sexual orientation in Senegal, a country in which same-sex relations are illegal, homophobia is widespread, and incitement toward violence against those perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is often encouraged by politicians and religious leaders."

The media and Muslim imams have urged citizens to form lynch mobs and stone gays in Senegal, where even the graves of suspected gay men are not safe from violence and desecration.

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Senegalese Gays Flee Country [R20]
Senegal Riot Police Fire Tear Gas at Hundreds [R20]
Senegal Releases Five Arrested at "Gay Wedding" [R20]
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Sarkozy Demotes Rama Yade, Black Cabinet Minister Who Sponsored UN Gay Rights Resolution

An update on Rama Yade, the charismatic young black French human rights minister who was a major player behind the recent United Nations gay rights declaration. Ironically, Yade was sidelined in a dramatic cabinet reshuffling that gives France an openly gay cabinet minister. The Independent:

President Sarkozy also took the opportunity to settle a few scores and punish ministers who had defied or disappointed him. Rama Yade, 32, the strikingly beautiful, Senegalese-born junior foreign minister for human rights, was one of the great symbols of M. Sarkozy's "ouverture" to racial minorities, women and youth when she was first appointed in 2007. She has since angered the President by taking an independent line on Libya and China and refusing to be sent into internal exile to the European Parliament.

So much symbolism was heaped on Mme Yade's appointment, and her personal popularity is so great, that the president dared not fire her outright. The move to sport—and the abolition of her old human rights job—will however be interpreted as a punishment.

Openly gay writer and television presenter Frédéric Mitterrand, nephew of the late President François Mitterrand, becomes the new culture minister.

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Gay Man's Body Removed Twice from Senegal Cemetery

The state sanctioned wave of anti-gay hysteria follows one gay Senegal man to his grave. Literally. In a truly despicable act of sacrilege, the body of a gay man was twice exhumed from a Muslim cemetery in Senegal. The BBC reports:

The man, in his 30s, was first buried on Saturday before residents of the western town of Thies dug up his body and left it near his grave, police say. His family then reburied him, but he was once more exhumed by people who did not want him buried there. His body was dumped outside the family house.

A police officer told the AFP news agency that the body was eventually buried away from the cemetery.

The state-owned Le Soleil newspaper reports the body was buried within the grounds of the family home.

ln recent weeks, Muslim leaders, as well as newspapers and radio stations, have denounced homosexuals after an appeals court last month overturned the convictions of nine gay HIV activists for homosexual acts. Several imams urged citizens to stone or kill anyone suspected of being gay.

This is not the first time a grave of a suspected gay man has been vandalized. AFP reports in the summer of 2008, locals in the central village of Guinguineo "profaned the tomb of a man they considered to be gay, saying they would not have him buried there."

H/T: Joe.My.God

Senegal: Muslim Leaders, Media Urge Citizens to "Stone" Gays

After nine Senegalese HIV/AIDS activists were freed from prison last week, they were met with a lynch mob and Muslim leaders and the media are urging people to attack gays, Amnesty International and various African news outlets report.

Dakar's L'Observeur quotes a local youth leader: "The homosexuals will not escape lynching. They will be fish food."

Press Agence Emmegi reports: "The men told Amnesty International delegates who met them at the Camp Penal prison in Dakar in April that following their arrest, 'A crowd of bystanders was waiting for us, they asked the police to remit us to the crowd as they threw stones at us and screamed: "These are fags, they should not be put in jail, they should be lynched, let them out, we'll kill them ourselves".' "

The report adds: "Media and an Islamic organization have disseminated homophobic statements describing the nine men as 'vicious' or 'perverts' spreading AIDS. Radio programs have broadcast messages calling on the population to attack and throw stones at anyone suspected of 'being a homosexual.' "

Senegal—where 95 percent of the population is Muslim—is one of 38 African nations that criminalize homosexual acts. The nine gay AIDS activists were arrested in Dakar in December 2008 following anonymous accusation. After being sentenced to eight years hard labor—the harshest sentence yet for such an offense—the conviction was overturned.

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