Richard Lambot, 61, a Belgian citizen who was living in Senegal, and Moustapha Gueye, 63, a Senegalese were convicted of “gross indecency and marriage

Richard Lambot, 61, a Belgian citizen who was living in Senegal, and Moustapha Gueye, 63, a Senegalese were convicted of “gross indecency and marriage against nature” their lawyer told a British-based African publication this week.
Attorney Seyni Ndione told IC Publications that neither man is gay and that Gueye was Lambot’s “domestic helper.”According to Ndione, Lambot had married Gueye only to help him relocate to Belgium so he could continue working for Lambot.The men were detained by authorities when they stepped off a plane from Belgium and the marriage license was discovered in their luggage. They had returned to the country to begin preparations to move back to Lambot’s homeland.“This marriage was only intended to help Mr. Gueye,” Ndione said.But police claim a subsequent search of Lambot’s home in Dakar, the capital, turned up “evidence of homosexuality.”Predominantly Muslim, Senegal is one of the few Francophone African countries that penalize homosexuality. Gay sexual acts are punishable by imprisonment of between one and five years and a fine of up to $3,000. In February five men were arrested on charges of homosexuality after pictures purportedly of a gay wedding appeared in a popular Senegal gossip magazine.Following an international outcry the five were released. But the dropping of charges outraged Muslims.Several hundred people gathered outside Dakar’s main mosque despite the refusal by police to issue a permit for the protest.Garbage bins were set on fire as organizers in front of the Grande Mosquee de Dakar demanded that all homosexuals in the country be rounded up and jailed.When police ordered the protestors to disband some in the crowd began throwing stones. Police fired teargas into the crowd to quell the riot.