Two men in Indonesia have been publicly flogged after being found guilty by a Sharia court of engaging in a consensual same-sex relationship.
Degrading Punishment Under Sharia Law
According to AFP, the students were caned with a rattan stick on 27 February in a park in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province, as dozens watched.
One of the men received 77 lashes, while his partner was punished with a higher count of 82 lashes for also providing a place for their consensual sexual intimacy.
The two were detained on 7 November 2024 after community members burst into their rented room and handed them over to the Sharia police for investigation.
While homosexuality is not technically illegal in most of Indonesia, it is criminalised in Aceh under local Islamic Sharia law.
Repressive Laws and Public Floggings
Aceh’s Sharia laws impose severe punishments on Muslims, including public flogging and fines for same-sex relations, as well as for other “offences” such as not wearing a hijab, gambling, drinking alcohol, and extramarital sex.
Responding to the flogging, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director, Montse Ferrer, condemned the punishment as a horrifying act of discrimination.
“Having already had their privacy brutally invaded when they were ambushed by members of the public while having sex, these men were then humiliated in public today and physically harmed,” said Ferrer.
“These flogging punishments are cruel, inhuman and degrading, and may amount to torture. Aceh and Indonesian central government authorities must take immediate action to halt these practices and revoke the bylaws that allow them to take place.”
LGBTQ+ Persecution in Indonesia
Once known for its relative tolerance, Indonesia has taken an increasingly repressive stance on sexuality and gender identity.
Beyond Aceh’s harsh Sharia laws, LGBTQ+ individuals across the country face routine discrimination, abuse, and arrest. Authorities often invoke anti-pornography laws to justify their actions, and morality police frequently raid private residences and businesses.
On 1 February, police in Jakarta arrested 56 men during a raid on what they described as a “same-sex sex party” at a hotel. Three of those arrested face up to 15 years in prison for allegedly organising the private gathering and facilitating “pornography” services.
On 15 February, residents in Banda Aceh raided a rented room and turned over a trans woman and a man to Sharia police for investigation.
Call for Reform
“Intimate sexual relations between consenting adults should never be criminalised, and no one should be punished because of their real or perceived sexual orientation,” said Ferrer.
Amnesty International has urged the Indonesian government to align its laws and actions with international human rights standards and Indonesia’s own Constitution.
“Aceh’s regional autonomy, which is its basis to apply Sharia law, must not come at the expense of human rights,” Ferrer added.
