Indonesia is poised to pass a new penal code that criminalises consensual sex outside marriage and introduce stiff penalties for insulting the president's dignity — a move rights groups criticised as an intrusive assault on basic freedoms.
The person violating the law could be imprisoned for up to a year. The maximum one-year prison term also can be applied to a person who has sex with someone who is not their spouse and a close family member lodges a complaint. The law could get homosexuals into trouble, as Indonesia, a largely Muslim nation does not recognise gay marriage.
The country has recently seen a trend towards deeper religious piety and conservative Islamic activism.
The new criminal code also outlaws living together unless married and insulting President Joko Widodo.
The new criminal code is due to be adopted in the next week after parliament and the government agreed on a final draft on Wednesday, four parliamentarians said. According to lawmakers, the new penal code, which would replace a Dutch colonial-era set of laws, was a long-overdue expression of Indonesian independence and religiosity.
Activists have called on the president to delay the bill stating that significant elements and abusive articles need to be removed.
The law also outlines a 10-year prison term for associating with organisations that follow a Marxist-Leninist ideology.
The new laws will also apply to foreigners. As per the law, there would also be a maximum four-year prison term for women who have an abortion, applicable if there was no medical emergency or rape involved. The code further introduces fines for some people who promote contraception, and a six-month prison term for unauthorised discussion of “tools of abortion”. Also, local authorities would get greater freedom to introduce punishments for breaches of customary laws not covered in the penal code.
