Amnesty International on the Senegal Nine

Senegal has decided to release nine individuals that were locked up and sentenced to eight years in prison because of their homosexuality. In Senegal, men that have sex with men face up to five years in prison and a $3,000 fine. I'm sure the decision to release the men came only after the international debate that was triggered after this happened.

But now that the men have been freed they are under constant harassment and threats from their communities. There names have been published in papers around the country and the men have been forced into hiding for fear of their lives. According to an associate of the men, Dauda Diouf, the men are now in a safe place. The also stated that the men are not interested in fleeing the country. They would like to return safely to their families.

Amnesty International is calling for a repeal of the laws the men were sentenced under. And they're demanding an investigation into allegations of torture and ill-treatment from the Senegal police while the men were in custody.