DUTCH REFEREE ROB DIEPERINK DIES WEEKS AFTER REMOVAL FROM WORLD CUP OFFICIATING LIST. (PHOTO).

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 Dutch referee Rob Dieperink dies weeks after removal from World Cup officiating list Dutch referee Rob Dieperink has died at the age of 38, weeks after FIFA removed him from its list of officials for the World Cup. The Dutch Football Association (KNVB) confirmed his death in a statement, saying it was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the news. His cause of death has not been disclosed. Dieperink was arrested in April by the Metropolitan Police in the United Kingdom following a report of an alleged sexual assault involving a teenage boy in London. A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said officers responded on April 9 to a report of sexual assault at an address in Croydon and arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of the offence. Police later said that after reviewing available evidence, including CCTV footage and digital devices, the investigation had concluded that “the evidential threshold had not been met” and no further action would be taken. Following the investigation, FIFA co...

SENEGAL DOUBLES MAXIMUM PENALTY FOR SAME-SEX ACTIVITY TO 10 YEARS' JAIL. (PHOTO)


 Senegal doubles maximum penalty for same-sex activity to 10 years' jail


Senegal's National Assembly late on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a ‌bill doubling the maximum prison term for same-sex sexual acts to 10 years and criminalising any efforts to promote homosexuality, Reuters reported.


The law - passed by 135 votes to zero, with three abstentions - fulfils a campaign promise of the government that ​came to power in 2024, led by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister ​Ousmane Sonko. It now awaits Faye's signature.


Senegal's penal code already carried an article, last ⁠amended in 1966, imposing up to five years' jail and fines of up to 1,500,000 CFA ​francs ($2,700) for "acts against nature".


The new version doubles the maximum term and allows for fines of up to 10 million ​CFA francs.


ANTI-LGBT LAWS TIGHTENED ACROSS WEST AFRICA


It says a judge may not grant a suspended sentence, or use their discretion to reduce a prison term below the minimum.


It specifies that acts against nature relate to homosexuality, bisexuality, "transsexuality", zoophilia and ​necrophilia.


Those found guilty of promoting or financing such acts also face prison time.


Imam Babacar Sylla, ​leader of And Samm Jikko Yi, a network of Islamic and civil society organizations, urged Faye to sign the bill into law as soon ‌as ⁠possible.


"The longer it takes, the more complicated it will be. And these people, whom I consider a public danger, will continue to escape," he said.


In the weeks leading up to Wednesday's vote, supporters of the bill, including lawmakers from the ruling Pastef party, organised demonstrations in Dakar in which participants shouted "No ​to homosexuality!" and held ​signs with rainbows crossed ⁠out.


The period has also been marked by a surge in arrests of men on suspicion of "acts against nature" as well as, in some cases, "voluntary ​transmission" of HIV - a crime carrying up to 10 years in prison.


​Some 27 men ⁠were arrested between February 9 and 24, according to the International Federation for Human Rights.


Last year, Burkina Faso passed a law criminalizing same-sex sexual relations for the first time, imposing prison terms of up ⁠to ​five years.


Lawmakers in Ghana are considering raising the maximum penalty ​for same-sex sexual acts from three years to five and imposing jail time for the "wilful promotion, sponsorship or support of LGBTQ+ activities".

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