Indonesian police have arrested three men in East Java for allegedly creating and operating an LGBTQ+ community page on Facebook.
According to Jakarta Globe, the men — two aged 22 and one aged 32 — were detained in a rented room in Taman, Sidoarjo, following a 24-hour cyber patrol conducted by the local Criminal Investigation Unit.
They are currently being held at Sidoarjo Police Station while investigations continue. Authorities have charged them under laws relating to the distribution of obscene material via electronic media, which carries a potential sentence of up to 12 years in prison and fines of up to Rp 6 billion (NZ $620,000).
Legal Context in Indonesia
Although Indonesia does not have a nationwide ban on same-sex sexual activity, the Human Dignity Trust notes that it is illegal in the Muslim provinces of Aceh and South Sumatra. The country’s anti-pornography legislation has also been used to target LGBTQ+ individuals, with penalties of up to 15 years in prison.
Broader Crackdown on LGBTQ+ Communities
The arrests come amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ+ actions in the country. On Monday (11 August), two men aged 20 and 21 were publicly caned in Aceh after being caught kissing in a toilet. Police reportedly broke into the location in April before making the arrest.
In June, police in Bogor, West Java, arrested 75 people during a raid on what they described as a “gay party.” And in May, Indonesia’s parliament proposed amendments to its broadcast law that would ban investigative journalism and all LGBTQ+ content.
