Two men publicly caned in Indonesia for having gay sex

[webfact]

Two men publicly caned in Indonesia for having gay sex

By Beawiharta

 

An Indonesian man is publicly caned for having gay sex, in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia May 23, 2017. REUTERS/Beawiharta

 

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia (Reuters) - Religious police in Indonesia caned two men for gay sex on Tuesday, with hooded men inflicting 82 lashes on each of them as hundreds of people watched the punishment ordered by an Islamic court.

 

Cheers and applause went up from a crowd gathered outside a mosque in the city of Banda Aceh, capital of the conservative province of Aceh, as the masked men took turns to flog the pair on a raised platform.

 

The men stood quietly, their heads down, as spectators heckled them and shouted insults.

 

An Indonesian man is publicly caned for having gay sex, in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, Indonesia May 23, 2017. REUTERS/Beawiharta

 

The punishment, condemned by rights groups, marked the first application of anti-homosexuality laws introduced in the province in 2014.

 

Aceh has long had a reputation as Indonesia's most conservative region. It is the only province that criminalises same-sex relations and that uses Islamic law as its legal code in addition to the national criminal code.

 

Up to 1,000 people, many filming with smartphones, watched as the two men received 82 lashes each. Many others watched the punishment being meted out on a livestream video.

 

Some in the crowd carried banners rejecting the presence of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Aceh.

 

"I hope there won't be any more such cases of homosexuality, it is shocking," said Eni Tri Retnaningsih, a 20-year-old student who said she had watched others caned before for other offences such as adultery.

 

At least eight other men and women were caned for other offences ahead of the punishment of the two found guilty of having gay sex.

 

Police separated men and women in the crowd as proceedings began, with 10 men in brown robes and hoods preparing a bundle of canes in case any broke during the flogging.

 

UNDER PRESSURE

 

The beatings were delivered on the clothed backs of the men and women, some of whom cried out in pain with each stroke. In some cases, the caning was suspended briefly if the offender signalled they were in too much pain.

 

At the end of the lashing, the two men were helped off the platform. They were free to return to their families, authorities said.

 

Aceh is Indonesia's most westerly province, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, where Islam first took hold in the archipelago.

 

The province caned 339 people in 2016 for a range of crimes, according to Human Rights Watch.

 

Indonesia has the world's largest population of Muslims but is officially a secular country. Most Muslims practice a moderate form of the religion.

 

Religious police in Aceh have also been known to rebuke Muslim women without headscarves or those wearing tight clothes, and people drinking alcohol or gambling.

 

Aceh is the only province allowed to implement sharia Islamic law under a special agreement that was signed in 2005 to bring an end to a bloody separatist movement.

 

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

 

Police in the capital, Jakarta, detained more than 140 men in a raid on a gay club on Sunday on suspicion of violating pornography laws.

 

Rights groups and activists have raised concern over the persecution of minorities, moral policing and violations of privacy and expression.

 

A presidential spokesman declined to comment on the caning.

 

(Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by John Chalmers, Robert Birsel)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-05-23

[Guest]

It was not only that. They publicly caned woman for physical affection outside marriage.

 

What an screwed up society.

 

 

[Usernames]

Their country, their rules. Don't go there if you don't like it.  And don't invite them in as residents of your country if you don't want to import their values.

[RareDingo]

Welcome to the 21st century

[ginge]

18 minutes ago, Usernames said:

Their country, their rules. Don't go there if you don't like it.  And don't invite them in as residents of your country if you don't want to import their values.

Not so easy when you live there.

[Jingthing]

I have read elsewhere (not in the link) that Indonesia is considering criminalizing homosexuality nationwide, not only in Aceh.

 

But they can still oppress gay people without a law change. 

 

Recent bust of a sauna party in Jakarta --

 

http://www.advocate.com/world/2017/5/22/mass-arrest-indonesian-men-sauna

 

Quote

"What is happening in Indonesia is dangerous and scary," Jessica Stern, executive director of OutRight Action International, said in a statement. "Officials are using their own personal biases on morality to oppress different groups and especially LGBTIQ people. In the past, the LGBTIQ community has experienced more tolerance in Indonesian society, but particularly over the past 18 months crackdowns have increased and the situation has become much worse for LGBTIQ people. LGBTIQ Indonesians are equal citizens and must not be singled out and oppressed simply for who they love or who they are."

 

[boomerangutang]

primitive group think

[Kinnock]

What would be the punishment for engaging in S&M sex?

[Guest]

9 minutes ago, Kinnock said:

What would be the punishment for engaging in S&M sex?

There are rarely comments on TV, which make me laugh out loud. This was one of those moments :)  

[Jingthing]

12 minutes ago, Kinnock said:

What would be the punishment for engaging in S&M sex?

Context is everything. 

[darksidedog]

22 minutes ago, Kinnock said:

What would be the punishment for engaging in S&M sex?

I am sure there are a goodly number of folk out there who would be happy to pay good money to be on the receiving end of a serious flogging.

Now they know where to go, to get it for free.

Edited May 23, 2017 by darksidedog

[55Jay]

I like how the one doing the caning, is dressed like a Ninja.   Show everyone and the accused your face.  Surely this is righteous, so why not?  Just carrying out orders, I suppose.  Hmmm.

[Jingthing]

The people watching the show (assuming they probably think that makes them good Muslims) are COMPLICIT. 

[Prbkk]

The Year of Living Dangerously revisited as Indonesia runs the risk of giving in completely to the despicable nutters determined to take the whole place back to C13th. It's on a slippery slope and those with brains and/or money will be looking to get out of Dodge as the situation deteriorates.

 

[Usernames]

1 hour ago, ginge said:

Not so easy when you live there.

Well, it's up to the people of Indonesia and/or that province to change things, if they so wish.  Making the rules other societies' live under is not the responsibility of Bwana.

[Prbkk]

2 minutes ago, Usernames said:

Well, it's up to the people of Indonesia and/or that province to change things, if they so wish.  Making the rules other societies' live under is not the responsibility of Bwana.

That's partially true but it's entirely appropriate to express support for those adversely affected by the imposition of Sharia Law....particularly when many of those are either not strict Muslims or not Muslims at all.

Indonesia used to known and respected for its diversity and tolerance, now it's a pale pink copy of its former self.

[Usernames]

Just now, Prbkk said:

That's partially true but it's entirely appropriate to express support for those adversely affected by the imposition of Sharia Law....particularly when many of those are either not strict Muslims or not Muslims at all.

Indonesia used to known and respected for its diversity and tolerance, now it's a pale pink copy of its former self.

I believe this particular province chose to enact strict standards of Islamic law. I'm guessing Indonesian citizens can go to other provinces where that is not the case should they want.  Meanwhile, a society will change when it's ready to change. Forcing them down a path they don't want to go gets you . . . Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Usernames said:

I believe this particular province chose to enact strict standards of Islamic law. I'm guessing Indonesian citizens can go to other provinces where that is not the case should they want.  Meanwhile, a society will change when it's ready to change. Forcing them down a path they don't want to go gets you . . . Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya.

Could 100 million Indonesians migrate to some other countries in case they don't like the policies what the other 200 million push to them?

 

There is a reason, why we need to allow minorities to have their own ways to live. This applies to all countries.

[Usernames]

3 minutes ago, oilinki said:

Could 100 million Indonesians migrate to some other countries in case they don't like the policies what the other 200 million push to them?

 

There is a reason, why we need to allow minorities to have their own ways to live. This applies to all countries.

Aceh province only has 5 million (not 100 million) people total in its population, in a country of 258 million. There are 33 other provinces in Indonesia--with more lenient laws.  And the vast majority of that 5 million in Aceh want this legal system.  If Bwana wants to go in there and take it away from them, he is going to find a good, bloody, terror riddled fight on his hands.  And leave another mess in his wake.

[Prbkk]

9 minutes ago, Usernames said:

I believe this particular province chose to enact strict standards of Islamic law. I'm guessing Indonesian citizens can go to other provinces where that is not the case should they want.  Meanwhile, a society will change when it's ready to change. Forcing them down a path they don't want to go gets you . . . Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya.

The introduction was a consequence of a campaign of harassment, bullying, threats. It ignores the rights of citizens under the national constitution but is not challenged as politicians in other areas live in fear of it spreading ( with good cause given what happened to the former Mayor of Jakarta, now in jail having been convicted in a ludicrous fiasco on blasphemy charges). The coming exodus from Indonesia is going to set the country back decades in economic terms and centuries in other ways).

[Usernames]

1 minute ago, Prbkk said:

The introduction was a consequence of a campaign of harassment, bullying, threats. It ignores the rights of citizens under the national constitution but is not challenged as politicians in other areas live in fear of it spreading ( with good cause given what happened to the former Mayor of Jakarta, now in jail having been convicted in a ludicrous fiasco on blasphemy charges). The coming exodus from Indonesia is going to set the country back decades in economic terms and centuries in other ways).

Indonesia undertook this route to avoid a civil war. Their decision. Getting involved in other countries' civil wars doesn't work real well for Western countries. See Vietnam and Syria.

[ilostmypassword]

8 minutes ago, Usernames said:

Indonesia undertook this route to avoid a civil war. Their decision. Getting involved in other countries' civil wars doesn't work real well for Western countries. See Vietnam and Syria.

Has some Western nation proposed invading Indonesia? I must have missed that one. Thanks for the alert.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Usernames said:

Indonesia undertook this route to avoid a civil war. Their decision. Getting involved in other countries' civil wars doesn't work real well for Western countries. See Vietnam and Syria.

While I do agree with you that it's not vise try to push military money to other countries internal problems, I do think we should support the human rights side on each country.

 

This can and have been done traditionally with sanctions and monetary support.

 

That is diplomacy over military intervention.

 

Military interventions have really bad track record to success.

[phantomfiddler]

Indonesia slides back into the stone age. Their treatment of the christian Mayor in Jakarta was nothing short of disgusting.

[Trentham]

17 hours ago, Usernames said:

Their country, their rules. Don't go there if you don't like it.  And don't invite them in as residents of your country if you don't want to import their values.

The undertones to your comment, and this applies to those who clicked like to it, show you to be quite heartless. Perhaps you wish you could have been one of the observers.

[kamahele]

17 hours ago, Usernames said:

Their country, their rules. Don't go there if you don't like it.  And don't invite them in as residents of your country if you don't want to import their values.

Does that make it right?

[sanukjim]

If there was canning here for that then 50% of the Europeans and all of the lady boys would get the cane.

[Prbkk]

7 minutes ago, sanukjim said:

If there was canning here for that then 50% of the Europeans and all of the lady boys would get the cane.

  Maybe foreshadowing a TAT promotion featuring that possibility. Could be a winner.

[FitnessHealthTravel]

Banda Aceh will be History soon. They are right on the fault line and the next big shift will take out that area.

[Andaman Al]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

Police separated men and women in the crowd as proceedings began, with 10 men in brown robes and hoods preparing a bundle of canes in case any broke during the flogging.

Welcome to the 14 th Century.