The Straits Times: Two men publicly flogged in Indonesia for gay sex

[sphere]

Two men publicly flogged in Indonesia for gay sex

The men were caned with a rattan stick as dozens watched on.PHOTO: AFP

 

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - Two men were publicly flogged in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province on Feb 27 after they were found guilty of sexual relations by a court operating under strict Islamic law.

 

While gay sex is not illegal elsewhere in Indonesia – the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation – it is outlawed in Aceh, which imposes a version of syariah, the Islamic legal code.

 

The flogging began before midday at a park in provincial capital Banda Aceh, with one man accused of instigating the relationship lashed 82 times and the second man 77 times.

 

Both were caned with a rattan stick as dozens watched on, according to an AFP journalist present.

 

The men’s sentences were reduced by three lashes for three months spent in detention.

 

In November, locals raided a rented room in Banda Aceh and found the two men – both students at a local university – together.

 

They were taken to syariah police for the alleged crime of sexual relations.

 

Rights advocates slammed the punishment as part of a wider trend of discrimination against LGBTQ people in the country.

 

“The intimidation, discrimination and abuses against LGBTQ individuals in Aceh are like a bottomless well,” Mr Andreas Harsono, Indonesia researcher at Human Rights Watch, told AFP.

 

“The Aceh government should learn from these mistakes and review their Islamic criminal code.”

 

Amnesty International called the punishment a “horrifying act of discrimination” against the two men.

 

“Intimate sexual relations between consenting adults should never be criminalised, and no one should be punished because of their real or perceived sexual orientation,” Amnesty’s Deputy Regional Director Montse Ferrer said in a statement.

 

Two other men were flogged at the same park 34 and eight times respectively on Feb 27 for online gambling, according to prosecutors.

 

Medical services were on standby for all the men.

 

Caning retains strong support among Aceh’s population as a common punishment for a range of offences that include gambling, drinking alcohol and adultery.

 

The region started using religious law after it was granted special autonomy in 2001, an attempt by the central government to quell a long-running separatist insurgency. AFP

 

[article source: here]

 

[singalion]

Just for clarification:

 

Only in Aceh province caning applies to homosexual caught in the act.

 

With the peace treatment with the Indonesian government (banda aceh fighters) the province received a special status on being permitted to enact their own criminal laws.

 

Note: That the Aceh laws also permit to cane or indict foreigners who are not Muslims for any of their shariah crimes.

 

Some years ago there was one Caucasian who got caned in public for a homosexual act.

 

In the rest part of Indonesia, homosexuality (or better to say homosexual acts) is not a crime.

 

 

[yhtang]

1 hour ago, singalion said:

Just for clarification:

 

Only in Aceh province caning applies to homosexual caught in the act.

 

With the peace treatment with the Indonesian government (banda aceh fighters) the province received a special status on being permitted to enact their own criminal laws.

 

Note: That the Aceh laws also permit to cane or indict foreigners who are not Muslims for any of their shariah crimes.

 

Some years ago there was one Caucasian who got caned in public for a homosexual act.

 

In the rest part of Indonesia, homosexuality (or better to say homosexual acts) is not a crime.

 

 

 

My understanding is that Aceh is an autonomous "state" or province, so they can enact certain laws that is applicable within Aceh. 

 

Aceh is a very Islamic state.  I suppose it is not too unlike the state of Kelantan in Malaysia.

 

[singalion]

1 hour ago, yhtang said:

 

My understanding is that Aceh is an autonomous "state" or province, so they can enact certain laws that is applicable within Aceh. 

 

Aceh is a very Islamic state.  I suppose it is not too unlike the state of Kelantan in Malaysia.

 

 

Aceh, at the northwestern end of Sumatra island, gained special autonomy in 2005 after a peace agreement ended the war with GAM, a separatist group.

In 2002, Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, allowed Aceh to use Sharia as its legal code when it granted the province limited autonomy to stop the drive for independence from Indonesia.

 

Note that there is also punishment for not being appropriately dressed ( = long pants and arms covered for men)

 

Not married couples of different sex are not permitted to mingle around.

 

Regarding Malaysia I may come to the personal conclusion that Terengganu is starting to get more Shariah than Kelantan.

Just refer to the recent public caning in Terengganu in early February 2025.

 

In the State of Kelantan the Religious state leader in 2018 said that the current State Law does not provide for caning under Shariah, however

Muslims may receive 4 months jail or a fine for homosexual acts.

The latter might be unconstitutional.

For about two decades Kelantan has not enacted any case against homosexuals.

 

In the State of Terengganu the situation seems different:

In my view the Caning provisions under Shariah in Terengganu are unconstitutional. I personally advise any Malay (or other) affected by the Terenganu Religious authority to object to any sentence and appeal to the Federal Courts. In many precedents the Federal Courts have decided that most of the religious criminal laws in the Federal States are simply unconstitutional as the States itself have no authority to implement their own criminal laws (without the approval of the Federal parliament).

 

 

Refer to this judgment from the Federal Court:

 

Malaysian man wins appeal against Islamic gay sex charge

 

On 25 February 2021, the Federal Court unanimously declared that the Selangor state law provision which made unnatural sex a Sharia offence was invalid as it contradicted the Federal Constitution and that such offences fall under Federal Parliament's jurisdiction.

 

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysian-wins-challenge-against-islamic-law-banning-gay-sex

 

 

If you live in Malaysia and are affected by any such religious judgements in the States, get a lawyer, write to Homosexual help groups if no monies to get funds for paying a lawyer, object the ruling and appeal. Don't plead guilty! 

Don't feel ashamed being gay and protect your rights! Stand up against the violations of the Federal Malaysian Constitution by such religious authorities who act unlawfully.

 

 

I hope the Moderators can this time leave the post as I am only trying to help our brothers and sisters in Malaysia!

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 11:13 AM by singalion

[cutejack]

No caning for corruptions ar? Their bribery n corruptions happen in broad day light seen by public. Look at the conditions of their country n the currency rates. At least men fucking each other never affect their economic..lan****. 

[yhtang]

3 hours ago, cutejack said:

No caning for corruptions ar? Their bribery n corruptions happen in broad day light seen by public. Look at the conditions of their country n the currency rates. At least men fucking each other never affect their economic..lan****. 

 

I totally agree with you! 

 

Men willingly having sex with each other probably reduces their blood pressure, and that should be a health and economic gain. 😁

[Zinc]

Sexual relations between two consenting adults is an expression of fulfilment, affection, and even love.

 

Punishing with cane is an act of calculated cruelty, malicious, ruthless and designed to inflict suffering. 

 

Think about it for a second, who is being violent here? Who in these 2 situations are deliberately weaponising pain against human dignity?

[Why?]

Comparatively speaking, it makes sense that living in a communist nation like China is far more pleasant, for the gay,  than living in a deeply religious one where being gay is punishable by either being stoned or flogged to death.

[singalion]

33 minutes ago, Why? said:

Comparatively speaking, it makes sense that living in a communist nation like China is far more pleasant, for the gay,  than living in a deeply religious one where being gay is punishable by either being stoned or flogged to death.

 

Noted your repeated vain attempts in glorifying anything in the PRC.

Do you live in the PRC?

 

Strangely that in  certain very religious countries in the Middle East with some following the harshest religious laws (such for example as Saudi Arabia) we haven't heard of death penalties on homosexuals. 

 

Iran might be an exception.

 

Some countries or parts of countries might act holier than the holy...

 

And when it comes to certain freedoms, the PRC is surely not one of the highlights.

 

In a different thread you already tried to portray the PRC as gay friendly, which isn't the case at all.

Wait until that country needs another scapegoat for something that failed in governance...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 23 hours ago by singalion

[Why?]

3 hours ago, singalion said:

 

Noted your repeated vain attempts in glorifying anything in the PRC.

Do you live in the PRC?

 

It's unfortunate that your knowledge of the world was restricted to bullying a big country where LGBT people was not held hostage through politics.  Doesn't sound objective to you? Read on...

 

Using anti-LGBTQ cards seems to be the only lucrative course of action in a nations where their leaders (left wing, right wing, religious wind, conservative wing and you know where I was referring too) lacks confidence and is deeply uncertain about the support of the electorate.  

 

More evidences...

 

Just when you thought Singapore was safe and sound after S377A was repealed, another politician is toying the anti-LGBT slogan to prove that he "cares" about humanity.  I doubt this lone wolf will dare to poke LGBT in our face if we have the priviledge of legislative protection, as you should know why it hasn't been so far.

 

[singalion]

4 hours ago, Why? said:

t's unfortunate that your knowledge of the world was restricted to bullying a big country where LGBT people was not held hostage through politics. 

What bullying?

It is a fact that LGBT in PRC are marginalised and lately censored and curtailed…

 

The past years there has been a clampdown on LGBT organisations and venues.

 

• LGBTQ groups have felt added pressure from police check-ups and online censorship since the pandemic

Wu is used to years of police check-ups and social media censorship, but said the pressure has been increasing in recent months, and the algorithm for censorship has improved post-Covid.

 

Last month, on Qixi – Chinese Valentine’s Day – the WeChat accounts of several LGBTQ organisations in the mainland were banned permanently in what appears to be the latest wave of crackdowns, done for no particular reason.

 

https://amp.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3232920/chinese-lgbtq-organisations-find-creative-ways-survive-crackdown-and-closures

 

• September 26, 2024

 

State pressure on LGBTQ advocates, which had been steadily increasing for years, kicked into high gear. In the following months and years, summons from security agents became more frequent and aggressive. Authorities ordered LGBTQ groups to cancel activities and ordered philanthropic foundations to cut LGBTQ projects. Media coverage of LGBTQ issues fell, and more and more LGBTQ-related accounts and content disappearedfrom social media. Dozens of LGBTQ organizations closed under the squeeze.

 

https://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/viewpoint/how-crackdown-transformed-lgbtq-activism-china

 

Do you need more evidence on the PRC curtailing and censoring LGBT?

 

 

Please update yourself before posting your wishful thoughts on LGBT in PRC!

 

 

 

Edited 15 hours ago by singalion

[Steve5380]

On 3/4/2025 at 5:10 AM, singalion said:

If you live in Malaysia and are affected by any such religious judgements in the States, get a lawyer, write to Homosexual help groups if no monies to get funds for paying a lawyer, object the ruling and appeal. Don't plead guilty! 

Don't feel ashamed being gay and protect your rights! Stand up against the violations of the Federal Malaysian Constitution by such religious authorities who act unlawfully.

I hope the Moderators can this time leave the post as I am only trying to help our brothers and sisters in Malaysia!

 

 

I don't see why the Moderators would delete your post,  since this would take sides with the homophobic bashers of gays.

[Steve5380]

23 hours ago, Zinc said:

Sexual relations between two consenting adults is an expression of fulfilment, affection, and even love.

 

Punishing with cane is an act of calculated cruelty, malicious, ruthless and designed to inflict suffering. 

 

Think about it for a second, who is being violent here? Who in these 2 situations are deliberately weaponising pain against human dignity?

 

One starts to realize that the more cruel, ruthless, evil the doctrines of a religion are,  the higher the chances of this religion being a total fabrication full of falsities.  Maybe the case of Aceh is a clear one.

[Steve5380]

17 hours ago, Why? said:

Comparatively speaking, it makes sense that living in a communist nation like China is far more pleasant, for the gay,  than living in a deeply religious one where being gay is punishable by either being stoned or flogged to death.

 

The evil in some nations lies in their TOTALITARISM.  China IS totalitarian, you cannot there position yourself against the PRC.  While "deeply religious states" may not be totalitarian at all.  Take the case of the Vatican in Rome:  it is "deeply religious" state, but there is NO evidence that gays there are being stoned or flogged to death.

[Why?]

11 minutes ago, Steve5380 said:

 

The evil in some nations lies in their TOTALITARISM.  China IS totalitarian.

Totalitarism?  America hegemony is also a form of totalitarism.  Duh! 

[Steve5380]

29 minutes ago, Why? said:

Totalitarism?  America hegemony is also a form of totalitarism.  Duh! 

 

Oh yes!, definitely.  This is the case TODAY,  where not so much any hegemony but America's INTERNAL shift to totalitarism is unprecedented in its whole history,  A government run by a traitor oligarch who is also imposing an ugly anti-LGBT policy!

.

Edited 4 hours ago by Steve5380

[Why?]

42 minutes ago, Steve5380 said:

 

Oh yes!, definitely.  This is the case TODAY,  where not so much any hegemony but America's INTERNAL shift to totalitarism is unprecedented in its whole history,  A government run by a traitor oligarch who is also imposing an ugly anti-LGBT policy!

.

Frankly speaking.  I am happy with what America is doing NOW, which is keeping its totalitarianism internally rather than spreading it globally.   We can only hope that his legacy endures forever.

[singalion]

On 3/9/2025 at 9:27 AM, Zinc said:

Sexual relations between two consenting adults is an expression of fulfilment, affection, and even love.

 

Punishing with cane is an act of calculated cruelty, malicious, ruthless and designed to inflict suffering. 

 

Think about it for a second, who is being violent here? Who in these 2 situations are deliberately weaponising pain against human dignity?

 

Trying to get the thread back to the topic and not the deviations taken by a certain Member who uses every chance to post anything anti Western or pro CCP.

 

That is the problem with plenty of countries who place religion before anything and are not secular run states.

Secular states would separate governance and laws from religion.

There is a higher chance in such states to implement laws more reasonable.

 

But let's be honest, there are a still plenty of countries that practice caning (and not just on religion or on "sexual" crimes).

 

For those interested in History: Caning is actually not a thing of South East Asia, but it came (same as 377) from the British!

Practised also in many ex colonies of Great Britain in Africa, the Caribbean and South East Asia...

It was abolished in the UK in 1948 and surprisingly never in the colonies...

=> Shares the same fate as the previous 377 (later 377A) in Singapore and still around in the 377A to D in Malaysia.

 

Indonesia was better off being a former Dutch Colony... because since 1811 the Netherlands decriminalised homosexuality... (through Napoleon actually...)