Body of gay man exhumed and burned in public after his sexuality was discovered.

The recent story from Senegal of a man being exhumed and set on fire in the street has shocked many across the country. Cheikh Fall, a 31-year-old man, had been buried in Léona Niassene cemetery in the central Senegalese town of Kaolack on Friday evening.

His family had initially tried to arrange a burial in nearby Touba, which is the holy city of the Islamic Mouride brotherhood, but the local authorities refused once they found out he was gay. When the local community objected to a burial near their home, the family performed the burial in secret at the cemetery.

Unfortunately, around 24 hours later, the body was exhumed and set alight in front of a large crowd, and four men have been arrested in connection with the incident.

Abasse Yaya Wane, the head of the Kaolack Public Prosecutor’s Office, said: “These extremely serious acts, which amount to barbarism, challenge the authorities and cannot go unpunished.”

Homosexuality is illegal in Senegal, punishable with prison time, and LGBTQ+ people are often subject to discrimination and even torture. Despite the prevalence of anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes in Senegal, the case has been met with outrage in parts of the country.

The local branch of Amnesty International condemned the incident in Kaolack in a statement released with two Senegalese human rights organisations. It said the actions of the participants violated “the dignity of the deceased and his family.”

In February last year, thousands of people gathered in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, to call for harsher punishments for LGBTQ+ people. Ngoné Dia, a university student who took part in the demonstration, said: “We want them to be imprisoned, even if it’s forever. Senegal is a homophobic country and we’re proud to say it.”

This incident highlights the danger that LGBTQ+ individuals face in Senegal every day. The hostility and intolerance they experience must be addressed in order to ensure the safety and dignity of all individuals.

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