Two men in Indonesia are facing 100 lashes after they were found naked together in their own bed.
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The Couple were found naked in bed with each other.
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They were forced out of their bed by a vigilante group, who forced their way into their bedroom.
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Homosexuality is illegal in the city of Banda Aceh where Sharia law is upheld.
A gay couple, in their 20s, has been found guilty of homosexual acts in Banda Aceh, in Indonesia after vigilantes stormed their room. The men were arrested at the end of March. They were taken to Wilayatul Hisbah, a Sharia police station. They both now face 100 lashes as punishment. The entire siege was filmed on a mobile phone.
Being gay is not illegal in Indonesia except in the province of Aceh and the city of Palembang in South Sumatra, where elements of Sharia law has been introduced since 1999. These rule could also be applied to non-Muslims in the region.
In 1999 the Province’s Governor moved to issue limited Sharia-based regulations. Sharia law expressly forbids homosexuality. In 2014 a law was introduced which punished anybody engaging and caught having gay sex with 100 lashes, 100 months in jail or a heavy fine.
The law also includes punishments for other sex crimes including adultery and underage sex. The rules also criminalise non-hijab-wearing women, drinking alcohol and gambling.
Human Rights Watch has urged the Country’s President Jokowi, to scrap the barbaric punishment.
Phelim Kine, deputy Asia division director at Human Right Watch said,
“The arrest and detention of these two men underscores the abuse embedded in Aceh’s discriminatory, anti-LGBT ordinances,
“These men had their privacy invaded in a frightening and humiliating manner and now face public torture for the ‘crime’ of their alleged sexual orientation.”
“President Jokowi should urgently intervene is this case to demonstrate his stated commitment to ending discrimination against LGBT people,
“Jokowi then needs to act to eliminate Aceh’s discriminatory ordinances so these outrageous arrests don’t happen again.”
