A total of 56 men were allegedly arrested at a private event in Jakarta, Indonesia, which police are calling a “gay sex party”. Three of the people who were arrested could now face up to 15 years in prison for violating the country’s anti-pornography laws.
As reported by Reuters, on February 1, police raided what they described as a “gay sex party” in a hotel in the capital of Indonesia, arresting 56 people. Authorities said that condoms and HIV medications were also found at the venue.
A police spokesperson, Ade Ary Syam Indradi, told reporters that three people were named as criminal suspects for organising the event. “The event was… merely based on pleasure that they wanted to seek,” Indradi stated.
The three men were accused of facilitating “pornography” services, a crime that in Indonesia carries a maximum prison term of 15 years.
Same-sex relationships are not criminalised in the majority of Indonesia, including Jakarta. However, there are no protections for LGBTQ+ individuals and homosexuality remains a taboo subject in a nation where conservative religious groups wield significant political power.
Activists have condemned the way police often use the 2008 Anti-Pornography Law to target the LGBTQ+ community in the country, with authorities raiding events and gatherings and accusing organisers of “immoral” behaviour. In 2017, hundreds were arrested during several police raids, which Amnesty International described as further evidence of “an increasingly hostile environment” for the LGBTQ+ community in the country.
In 2021, two men in Aceh, a province in Indonesia that applies the Sharia law and criminalises homosexuality, were publicly caned 77 times in a city park after neighbours reported they had seen the couple engaging in gay sex and reported them to the police.
Moreover, in 2022, Indonesia amended its Penal Code to criminalise sex outside of marriage. Since same-sex marriage is not permitted in Indonesia, the new law impacts all LGBTQ+ relationships. Anyone who is reported for breaking the law, including tourists, can face up to one year in prison. The law is set to take effect in 2025.
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