Rights groups protest as Indonesian men face caning for gay sex

Some of the more than 140 men detained after a raid on what authorities described as a gay prostitution ring being run out of an entertainment venue are shown to the media at a police station in Jakarta, Indonesia May 22, 2017. /REUTERS
Some of the more than 140 men detained after a raid on what authorities described as a gay prostitution ring being run out of an entertainment venue are shown to the media at a police station in Jakarta, Indonesia May 22, 2017. /REUTERS

Two men are to be caned on Tuesday in the Indonesian province of Aceh after being caught having sex.

Gay sex is not illegal in most of Indonesia but is in Aceh, the only province which exercises Islamic law.

The men will each receive 85 strokes during the punishment, which will take place in public.

The pair, aged 20 and 23, were found in bed together by vigilantes who entered their private accommodation in March.

They have not been identified.

Aceh was granted special rights to introduce its own stricter Islamic laws more than a decade ago, and has become increasingly conservative in recent years.

Strict laws against homosexuality were passed in 2014 and came into effect the following year.

Public caning sentences have been handed down previously only for gambling and drinking alcohol.

Indonesia has historically largely been tolerant of homosexuality, but has witnessed increasing official and social hostility towards its small and low-profile LGBTQ community in recent years.

Earlier this month, Indonesian police arrested 14 people in the city of Surabaya for allegedly holding a gay party.

They could face charges under ambiguous anti-pornography laws.

On Monday, 141 men were arrested in a police swoop on a sauna in the capital, Jakarta, on similar charges.

Police spokesman Argo Yuwono said in a statement those detained had "violated pornography laws".

He said 10 suspects, including the owner of the club and several staff members, had been charged, while the others were being questioned.

Sunday night's raid came amid concerns over a backlash against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in the world's largest Muslim-majority country.

Rights groups have strongly criticised prosecutions of people involved in same-sex relationships, and the use of caning.

Amnesty International said every human was entitled to a right to privacy and to have consensual relations, but that the two men had been ambushed in their home.

It said caning was a "cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment" and may amount to torture and called on the Acehnese authorities to abandon the practice.

"These detentions set a bad precedent for gender and sexual minorities," Legal Aid Jakarta, a coalition of lawyers and activists, said in a statement.

The group said the men were humiliated by police and many were strip-searched, photographed and marched naked from the venue into police vehicles. Photos were then shared on social media, the group added.

The detentions follow a similar raid earlier this month in Indonesia's second-largest city of Surabaya, where officials published the results of HIV tests of several men suspected of gay sex, media said.

Homosexuality is not illegal under Indonesian law, but the LGBT community has come under pressure since government officials expressed reservations last year about activism by its members.

Indonesia has strict anti-pornography laws under which offenders can face up to 15 years' jail.

The maximum penalty for downloading pornographic material is four years' jail or a two billion rupiah ($150,350) fine.


WATCH: The latest videos from the Star