In a striking incident in Aceh province, two young Indonesian men found guilty of engaging in a same-sex relationship faced public caning on Thursday. This event has sparked renewed calls from Amnesty International urging the government to abolish such punitive measures.
In Indonesia, where homosexuality is disapproved mainly of in Muslim-majority regions, members of the LGBTQ community encounter significant legal hurdles. Notably, Aceh stands out as the sole province that has enacted laws criminalising homosexuality under Islamic Sharia, enforcing penalties that include public caning.
In a disturbing incident, two university students, aged 18 and 24, faced flogging at a regional government hall administered by hooded officers of the Islamic religious police. Dozens of onlookers, including family members, observed the caning incident.
One individual was subjected to 77 lashes, while another faced 82 lashes for facilitating a location for their sexual activities. Following the event, they were dismissed and sent home. “They were caned after evidence emerged of their same-sex sexual relationship,” Roslina A Djalil, the head of Sharia law enforcement in Aceh, informed reporters, noting that the men had been handed over to the police by residents.
Montse Ferrer, serving as a deputy regional director at Amnesty International, described the flogging as “a horrifying act of discrimination” in a recent statement. Consensual sexual relationships among adults should not be subject to criminalisation. The government was urged to take swift action to repeal bylaws concerning flogging. On Thursday, two additional men faced caning in Aceh as a consequence of their involvement in online gambling.
The legal framework in certain jurisdictions stipulates penalties that can reach as high as 200 lashes for offences, including extramarital sexual relations, the sale and consumption of alcohol, and gambling activities. According to Amnesty, fifteen individuals in Aceh have received sentences of flogging for various offences this year, while last year, the number reached 135.
