{"id":61975,"date":"2020-02-14T10:48:51","date_gmt":"2020-02-14T02:48:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.namnewsnetwork.org\/?p=61975"},"modified":"2020-02-14T10:48:53","modified_gmt":"2020-02-14T02:48:53","slug":"senegals-president-defends-criminalisation-of-homosexuality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/?p=61975","title":{"rendered":"Senegal’s president defends criminalisation of homosexuality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Senegal\u2019s<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pres Macky Sall<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

DAKAR, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Macky Sall defended the country\u2019s criminalisation of homosexuality, telling visiting Canadian prime minister that \u2018we\u2019re comfortable with our laws\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exchange between Justin Trudeau and Sall highlighted the impasse the United States, Canada and other Western nations have had in persuading Senegal and most African countries not to jail gays and lesbians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trudeau told journalists he was \u201ca great defender of human rights\u201d and so had to raise the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve talked about it, and we know that Senegal is a leader in terms of democracy and in terms of values. But we all have work to do. In any case, we\u2019ve had good discussions with Macky Sall,\u201d Trudeau said at a news conference in the capital of Dakar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senegal is a moderate, predominantly Muslim nation where homosexuality is criminalized and punishable by up to five years in prison. Prosecution is rare but discrimination in the country\u2019s traditional communities runs deep. The bodies of gay men have even been dug out of Muslim cemeteries after their families had laid them to rest there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Senegalese president said his country respected human rights but he emphasized that no changes on laws regarding homosexuality would be forthcoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe cannot ask Senegal to legalize homosexuality and organize tomorrow\u2019s Gay Pride,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is not possible. Our society does not accept it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is our way of living and being. It has nothing to do with homophobia,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sall said gay people are not ostracised in Senegalese society, however, and that every country had its own \u201cmetabolism\u201d for change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSociety will change, it will take the time it takes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trudeau spent Wednesday meeting with Senegal\u2019s president and visiting Goree Island, a site often frequented by visiting Western leaders because of its historical significance as a place where African slaves were forced to depart for the New World.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday, he met with university students and tour an aid project before departing Senegal. During his talks with the president, he also won support for Canada\u2019s bid to win a seat on the U.N. Security Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCanada will have Senegal\u2019s support,\u201d Sall told journalists. \u201cWe need Canada\u2019s voice at the Security Council. Canada is a country of diplomacy. Canada is not difficult to support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Norway and Ireland are also part of a three-way race for two seats on the Security Council for 2021-22 from the Western group. — NNN-AGENCIES
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pres Macky Sall DAKAR, Feb 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Macky Sall defended the country\u2019s criminalisation of homosexuality, telling visiting Canadian prime minister that \u2018we\u2019re comfortable with our laws\u2019. The exchange between Justin Trudeau and Sall highlighted the impasse the United States, Canada and other Western nations have had in persuading Senegal and most African countries […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[213,208],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61975"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=61975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61975\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=61975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=61975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/namnewsnetwork.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=61975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}