A new law has gone into effect in the Indonesian province of Aceh that makes gay sex punishable by up to 100 lashes followed by imprisonment up to 100 months. Those convicted can also opt to pay a hefty fine of 1,000 grams of fine gold to avoid such draconian treatment.
Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia but the province of Aceh has maintained a certain degree of autonomy from the government in Jakarta in recent years.
The law, passed in 2014 but only now being enforced, has faced opposition by rights groups.
The strictly Muslim province has become increasingly conservative in recent years and is the only one in Indonesia allowed to implement Sharia law.
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.
But Ismail Hasani, from human rights group the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, criticised the law as “cruel, inhumane and against the constitution”.
AFP reports that the law “outlaws anal sex between men and ‘the rubbing of body parts between women for stimulation’, and for the first time applies Islamic laws and punishments to non-Muslims.”
The lashings are carried out using thin rattan sticks and intended to publicly humiliate as much as physically harm the accused.
It says it applies to non-muslims, I assume only locals, but there's a debate over whether this applies to foreigners too. I don't think they would cane them; they would probably just ask visitors to leave the province - still an awful law though
I want to remind you all that this is only happening in a small section of Indonesia, not the entire country.
The same in the Philippines, homosexual relations are allowed on the islands bar Marawi City which like Aceh is under Sharia law (only they don't have harsh punishments and Sharia only applies to Muslims). If only Aceh could've remained like Marawi or better yet just let the gay issue go completely
They banned the sale of alcohol in small shops recently too and they've been using the death penalty way more often. Bye Indonesia not using u anymore.
Awful. And 100 months in prison? Really? 
