Niger Criminalises Same-Sex Relations And LGBTQIA+ People With 5-10 Years In Prison
Niger鈥檚 military-run government has enacted a new penal code that criminalises same-sex relations, introducing prison sentences and fines, according to official statements.
The legislation, which took effect in June 2026, prescribes penalties of between five and 10 years鈥� imprisonment and financial sanctions for individuals found to have engaged in same-sex sexual relations or acts described in the text as 鈥渋mmodest or unnatural.鈥�
An adviser to Niger鈥檚 justice ministry , stating it applies to those who 鈥渃ommit or attempt to commit an immodest or unnatural act or practices lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gender, Queer, intersex, Asexual (LGBTQIA+) acts,鈥� with the same penalties extended to those involved in arranging or witnessing same-sex marriages.
鈥淭his same penalty is applicable to persons who officiated the marriage, to the witnesses of the alleged spouses, as well as to persons who have given their consent for the celebration of the marriage and to the organisers,鈥� the new penal code said.
The reform represents the first explicit criminalisation of same-sex relations in Niger鈥檚 legal framework. Previously, homosexuality was not listed as a criminal offence, though it was widely regarded as socially taboo.
The legislation aligns Niger with a number of other African countries that maintain laws criminalising same-sex conduct, with penalties varying across jurisdictions. Across the region, existing criminalisation frameworks remain in place in several other West African countries, including Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, where same-sex relations have long been prohibited under colonial-era or post-independence laws.
Recent reporting has shown that US hate group聽MassResistance has been providing advice and counsel and funding to anti-LGBTQIA+ activist groups in these countries to help them campaign for harsh laws against gay people.
The penal code revision has been reported as part of broader legal reforms enacted under Niger鈥檚 military administration, which has governed the country since the 2023 coup.
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