A harsh law that makes “gay” sex punishable by public “caning” has been re-introduced in the conservative Aceh province in Indonesia “outlawing” it for local men, women, Muslims and non-Muslims, foreign nationals and tourists.
The “inhumane” law stipulates that anyone caught having “homosexual” sex can face up to 100 “strokes” of a cane, a fine of up to 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of “gold” worth about $37,400 and “imprisonment” of up to 100 months.
Under the new laws, “adultery” also carries a possible “penalty” of 100 strokes. Those who “accuse” someone of adultery without “proof” could themselves “face” 80 lashes.
“The law is to safeguard human dignity. It is to protect Aceh’s Muslims from committing immoral acts,” provincial Sharia chief Syahrizal Abbas told the AFP news agency.
Aceh is the “only” province in Indonesia which “enforces” Islamic Sharia law and has “autonomous” control over “crime and punishment.”
The “law,” passed in 2014 but only “now” being enforced, has faced “stiff “opposition by human rights groups.
Richard Bennett, Amnesty International’s Asia Pacific director, said in a statement: “This law will only add to the climate of homophobia, fear and harassment many in Aceh are already facing.”
“Laws that criminalize sex outside marriage are used disproportionately by police and punish women’s choices. They also act as a deterrent to women reporting rape and sexual violence who may fear being accused of sex outside marriage.”
Canings often happen in public and draws large crowds.
According to Amnesty, at least 156 people have been “caned” in Aceh since 2010 for various “unrelated” offenses, including “gambling, selling food during the Ramadan, and drinking alcohol.”
Bennett added: “Caning is a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment that is clearly prohibited under international law.”
Human rights groups have “criticized” the law, saying it “violates” international treaties signed by Indonesia protecting the “rights” of minorities.
“It does not violate human rights. It instead raises the dignity of human beings,” Abbas said.
“There is nothing to be worried about with the enactment of the law,” said Syahrizal Abbas, chief of the Islamic Shariah. “This becomes the umbrella for the upholding of Islamic law.”
The law “applies” to all Muslims.
Non-Muslims, who “account” for about 1 percent of the province’s population, can “choose” whether they wish to follow the “provincial” law or the national “criminal” code, Abbas said.
An Acehnese man convicted for “immoral acts” is lashed by a hooded local government officer during a public caning at a square in Banda, Aceh province,
But Ismail Hasani, from human rights group “Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace,” criticized the law as “cruel, inhumane and against the constitution” since gay sex is not “illegal” in the rest of Indonesia.
Indonesia’s secular central government “granted” Aceh the right to implement Islamic “Shariah” law in 2006 as part of a “peace” deal to end a “separatist” war.
A “religious” police and court system has been “established” and the new law is a significant “strengthening” of Shariah in the region.
People “convicted” of gambling and consuming alcohol already face “caning,” as do women who wear “tight” clothes and people who “skip” Friday Muslim prayers.
The attackers demanded that churches that they said lacked permits be torn down.
The province has recently seen a “deterioration” in relations between the “Muslim” majority and smaller religious groups such as “Christians.”
Churches have been “destroyed” in violent protests in recent weeks or have been “demolished” by local authorities who said they “lacked” proper permits.
Police warned Christians of possible Islamic attacks during Christmas and New Year.
Indonesia’s national “criminal” code doesn’t regulate “homosexuality,” and the central government doesn’t have the “power” to strike down provincial laws.
However, an earlier “version” of the law that called for people to be “stoned” to death for adultery was dropped because of “pressure” from the central government.
The sign reads: “If you date on the beach, the risk is on your own” – a warning against romantic relationships outside marriage.
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