Indonesia: Province poised to introduce law to punish gay sex with 100 lashes
An Indonesian province is poised to adopt a new law introducing public floggings for homosexuality.
The Aceh – the only part of the Asian nation which enforces Islamic Sharia law – has autonomous control over crime and punishment.
According to AFP, a new bye-law in the province would outlaw gay sex for both men and women, and for both Muslims and non-Muslims.
The law, which specifically outlaws anal sex and “the rubbing of body parts between women for stimulation”, would subject offenders to 100 lashes of the cane.
It was proposed last year by Banda Aceh Deputy Mayor Illiza Sa’aduddin Djama, and is now set to be passed by the Aceh government.
A law introducing the death penalty for homosexuality in the region was first introduced in 2009, but was vetoed by the governor following international outcry.
Aceh Party politician Ramli Sulaiman, head of the commission that drafted the law, said: “We have studied the implementation of sharia in countries like Saudi Arabia, Brunei Darussalam and Jordan to draft this law and we are happy with it.”
Homosexuality is legal in the rest of Indonesia, though the age of consent for gay sex is higher than for straight sex.
Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population – but outside of the Aceh, most practice a more moderate form of the
