A couple in Indonesia has been sentenced to public flogging after being found guilty of engaging in same-sex activity, which remains criminalised in parts of the country.
According to the Human Dignity Trust, homosexuality is illegal in two Indonesian provinces—Aceh and South Sumatra—where punishments include up to eight years in prison and as many as 100 lashes.
The case dates back to 7 November last year when a 24-year-old and an 18-year-old were arrested in Banda Aceh. Their neighbours reportedly broke into their rented room, where they found the pair naked and embracing.
Judge Sakwanah sentenced the two men to receive 85 and 80 lashes, respectively, as reported by the Daily Mail.
A Pattern of Brutal Punishments
This is not the first instance of public flogging for homosexuality in Aceh. In 2021, two men were lashed 77 times each after a vigilante mob raided their apartment and turned them over to the police for allegedly having sex.
Similarly, in 2022, two Indonesian soldiers were dismissed from the military and sentenced to seven months in prison for engaging in same-sex relations, which is banned under the country’s military laws.
Aceh has seen a growing trend of conservatism in the last decade. Strict laws against homosexuality were introduced in 2014 and enforced in 2015, tightening restrictions in the region.
‘Committed Illicit Acts’
During the trial, Judge Sakwanah stated: “During the trial, it was proven that the defendants committed illicit acts, including kissing and having sex. As Muslims, the defendants should uphold the Shariah law that prevails in Aceh.”
The two college students accepted the verdict and chose not to appeal.
Growing Anti-LGBTQ+ Sentiment
Amnesty International Indonesia’s director, Usman Hamid, has previously linked Indonesia’s harsh treatment of LGBTQ+ people to “inflammatory statements” from political leaders, which have fuelled hostility toward the community.
In 2020, police arrested nine men at a Jakarta hotel after raiding a so-called “gay party.” The organisers were prosecuted under anti-pornography laws, which carry sentences of up to 15 years in prison.
The previous year, Indonesia’s criminal code was condemned as a “human rights disaster” for LGBTQ+ people by the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society in Melbourne, highlighting the country’s deteriorating record on LGBTQ+ rights.
