Indonesia cracks down on sex

INDONESIA is set to vote on a plan to outlaw gay and premarital sex while beefing up its blasphemy laws in a shakeup fueled by religious conservatism and slammed by rights groups yesterday.

The proposed criminal law overhaul could affect millions in the world’s biggest Muslim majority country, including heterosexual couples who might face jail for having sex outside wedlock, or having an affair.

But there are also fears it could punish the Southeast Asian nation’s small LGBT community as gay marriage is not allowed in Indonesia.

“Indonesia’s draft criminal code is disastrous not only for women and religious and gender minorities, but for all Indonesians,” said Andreas Harsono, senior Indonesia researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“Lawmakers should remove all the abusive articles before passing the law.”

Updating Indonesia’s criminal code, which stretches back to the Dutch colonial era, has been debated for decades.

While a push last year fizzled, the mooted changes now appear set to be voted on in parliament before the end of the month — with strong support from religious groups.

“Even though the criminal code bill that will be ratified still has shortcomings, it’s far better than today,” said Robikin Emhas, of Nahdlatul Ulama, a major Islamic organization.

Rights groups say the proposals underscore a growing shift toward fundamentalism in a country once hailed for its religious tolerance.

“This is a setback,” said Papang Hidayat, research manager from Amnesty International Indonesia.

(AFP)