Aceh to cane gays
Aceh to cane gays caught having sex
- AFP
- October 23, 201512:00AM
Sharia court in Banda Aceh. Gay people caught having sex in Indonesia's staunchly Islamic Aceh province from today will be punished by 100 strokes of the cane.Source: AFP
Gay people caught having sex in Indonesia’s staunchly Islamic Aceh province from today will be punished by 100 strokes of the cane, despite criticism of the “inhumane” law.
Under an Islamic bylaw, anal sex between men and “the rubbing of body parts between women for stimulation” is outlawed. The rule applies to all Muslims including foreigners, provincial sharia chief Syahrizal Abbas said yesterday.
The regulation was passed in 2014 amid outrage from rights groups, but officials took a year to educate the public. “The law is to safeguard human dignity. It is to protect Aceh’s Muslims from committing immoral acts,” Mr Abbas said