New Delhi, April 14 -- A court in Senegal has issued the first conviction under a new law increasing the punishment for homosexuality.

A court in Dakar suburb Pikine-Guediawaye sentenced a 24-year-old laborer on Friday to six years in prison and fined him 2 million CFA ($3,300) for "acts against nature and public indecency." He was arrested earlier this month.

Senegal, a largely Muslim nation, is the latest African country to impose harsher penalties against the LGBTQ+ community. The law increases prison sentences to between five and 10 years.

The law also punishes what it calls the "promotion" or "financing" of homosexuality, seen as an attempt to crack down on groups that support sexual and gender minorities.

Human Rights Watch rese...