Two men were publicly flogged in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province on Thursday after being found guilty of engaging in same-sex relations under strict Islamic law.
While homosexuality is not illegal elsewhere in Indonesia, it is criminalized in Aceh, which enforces a version of sharia law. The punishment took place in a public park in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, before midday, with one man receiving 82 lashes and the other 77, both inflicted with a rattan cane as dozens of spectators watched, according to an AFP journalist present.
The sentences of both men were reduced by three lashes for the three months they had already spent in detention.
The men, both students at a local university, were caught in a rented room in Banda Aceh in November and were arrested by sharia police for alleged sexual relations. The case has drawn widespread criticism from human rights organizations.
Andreas Harsono, Indonesia researcher at Human Rights Watch, condemned the flogging, stating, “The intimidation, discrimination, and abuses against LGBTQ individuals in Aceh are like a bottomless well.” He called on the Aceh government to reconsider its Islamic criminal code, urging them to learn from such actions.
Amnesty International also condemned the punishment as “a horrifying act of discrimination,” emphasizing that consensual sexual relations between adults should never be criminalized. “No one should be punished because of their real or perceived sexual orientation,” said Montse Ferrer, Amnesty’s Deputy Regional Director.
In addition to the two men flogged for same-sex relations, two others received lashes for online gambling at the same park on Thursday, with sentences of 34 and eight lashes, respectively. Medical services were on standby for all those punished.
Caning remains a widely supported form of punishment in Aceh for offenses such as gambling, drinking alcohol, and adultery. The region began enforcing sharia law in 2001 after gaining special autonomy as part of efforts to resolve a longstanding separatist insurgency.
AFP
