U.N. Deplores Jailing of Gay Men in Senegal

Anti-HIV activists in Senegal working to distribute condoms and secure medical care for people living with AIDS have been arrested and charged with "acts against nature" and establishing "an association of criminals" for their work.

The United Nations has officially condemned the December arrest and subsequent imprisonment and sentencing of the nine gay men who were working to combat AIDS in Senegal, reported AllAfrica.com.

Executive Director of the Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS, also known as UNAIDS, Michel Sidib?, was quoted in the article as saying that in the struggle against the pandemic, "There is no place for homophobia."

Added Sidib?, "Universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support must be accessible to all people in Senegal who are in need-including men who have sex with men.

"This will only happen if the men convicted are released and steps taken to rebuild trust with affected communities."

The nine gay men had been working with AIDES Senegal.

UNAIDS, together with the UN's Development Program, the French and Swedish Embassies, and social groups, has begun the work of securing the mens' release, the article said.

The UN group has previously called into the question the wisdom of criminalizing sexual contact between consenting adults of the same gender, pointing out that anti-gay laws have the effect of driving same-sex relationships underground and preventing men who have sex with men (MSMs) from seeking HIV testing and treatment.

In a statement, UNAIDS promoted "the protection of the dignity and rights of all those affected by HIV, including their right and ability to organize and educate their communities, advocate on their behalf, and access HIV prevention and treatment services," the article said.

The article noted that in many nations, sexual conduct between consenting adults of the same gender can involve serious penalties--including death, in ten countries.

Many of those nations do not separate religious and secular law, and in the case of many of the countries where death is the punishment for gay sexuality, Sharia, or Muslim, law is the law of the land.

Calling for the creation of a social and legal environment that guarantees respect for human rights, the agency recommends that "criminal law prohibiting sexual acts between consenting adults in private should be reviewed with the aim of repeal."

The article recollected that shortly before the nine men were placed under arrest for their efforts to stem AIDS, Navi Pillay, who serves as the head of the United Nations human rights program, spoke out against anti-gay persecution.

Said Navi, "No human being should be denied their human rights simply because of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

"No human being should be subject to discrimination, violence, criminal sanctions or abuse simply because of their perceived sexual orientation or gender identity."

Navi's comments were delivered to a panel on human rights, gender identity, and sexual orientation that had convened at the UN's New York headquarters, the article said.

Added Navi, "Those who are lesbian, gay or bisexual, those who are transgender, transsexual or intersex, are full and equal members of the human family and are entitled to be treated as such."

UN efforts to convince the world's nations to universally decriminalize consensual gay sex drew criticism from the Vatican and the Organization of Islamic States.

The Vatican's observer to the U.N., Monsignor Celestino Migliore, stated that such a resolution would "pillory" countries that punish intimacy between consenting adults of the same gender, leading to "new categories protected from discrimination."

Msgr. Migliore warned that any new protections for the world's gays and lesbians would "create new and implacable acts of discrimination," imagining that, "States where same-sex unions are not recognized as 'marriages,' for example, would be subject to international pressure."