Islamic court in Indonesia sentences two men to public caning after they were caught hugging and kissing
The trial at the Islamic Shariah District Court in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, was held behind closed doors. Judges have the authority to limit public access in such a case and open it only for the verdict.
The two men, aged 20 and 21, were arrested in April after residents saw them entering the same bathroom at Taman Sari city park and reported it to police patrolling the area. The police broke into the toilet and caught the men kissing and hugging, which the court considered to be a sexual act.
The lead judge, Rokhmadi M Hum, said the two college students were 'legally and convincingly' proven to have violated Islamic law by committing acts that lead to gay sexual relations. The court didn't publicly identify the men.
Prosecutors previously sought 85 strokes of the cane for each, but the three-judge panel decided on what they described as lenient punishment because the men were outstanding students who were polite in court, cooperated with authorities and had no previous convictions.
The judges also ordered the time they have served to be deducted from their sentence. It means the number of lashes will be reduced by four as they have been detained for four months.
The prosecutor, Alfian, who like many Indonesians uses only a single name, said he was not satisfied with the lighter sentence. But he said he will not appeal.
Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia allowed to observe a version of Islamic law. It allows up to 100 lashes for morality offences including gay sex. Caning is also punishment for adultery, gambling, drinking and for women who wear tight clothes and men who skip Friday prayers.
Indonesia's secular central government granted Aceh the right to implement the law in 2006 as part of a peace deal to end a separatist war. Aceh implemented an expansion in 2015 that extended the law to non-Muslims, who account for about 1 per cent of the province's population.
Human rights groups have criticised the law, saying it violates international treaties signed by Indonesia protecting the rights of minorities. Indonesia's national criminal code doesn't regulate homosexuality.
Monday's verdict was the fifth time that Aceh has sentenced people to public caning for homosexuality since the Islamic law was implemented.
In February, the same court sentenced two men to public caning up to 85 times for gay sex after neighborhood vigilantes in Banda Aceh suspected them of being gay and broke into their rented room to catch them naked and hugging each other.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
41 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Shadow home affairs minister Andrew Hastie vows to revive pride in Australian flag as many ‘disappointed' to see it debased
Shadow home affairs minister Andrew Hastie has claimed many Australians were 'disappointed' to see non-Australian flags flown on the Sydney Harbour Bridge last weekend, as well as protestors burning the national symbol in Melbourne. Major pro-Palestine protests in both state capitals saw a number of signs and flags raised in opposition to Israel, including some which appeared to show support for Hamas. New South Wales Police have since launched a series of investigations into the Sydney Harbour Bridge protesters over reported death chants, waving of terrorist flags and displaying Hamas and Nazi symbols. Mr Hastie is among those who criticised the protests, telling Sky News Australia he believed the majority of Australians would be "disappointed" to the Australian flag demeaned by the actions of protestors. The shadow home affairs minister has recently launched a campaign, Together Under One Flag, in an effort to "affirm" support for the national symbol and show gratitude for what it represents. Mr Hastie, who served with the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR) as a Troop Commander, said wearing the Australian flag on his uniform was a reminder of who and what he was fighting for. 'More than 100,000 Australians in the last 100 plus years have died under this flag. It's very, very important,' he said. The shadow home affairs minister said if people wanted to support his campaign were welcome to "join the movement" and order a bumper sticker from his campaign - available for free. "Let people know that you are proud to be an Australian and you have gratitude for what our country is about," he said. Mr Hastie said the Australian flag was the only flag which flew above the Commonwealth Parliament, and the only one that was draped over the coffins of fallen soldiers. Mr Hastie added flags 'mean a lot' and he did not want to diminish the flags of other nations, simply promote a sense of national pride in Australia's. 'I'm not a fan of ISIS flags, of course, or any of those other flags that we've seen flown on our streets over the last few years, but the Australian national flag is the only flag that speaks to all the aspirations of all Australians,' he said. 'When we win a gold medal at the Olympics, guess what flag goes up the flagpole? The Australian flag and I think it's really important internationally that we send the right signal.'
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
Timbuktu's famed manuscripts return home after 13 years
The Malian military government has started returning home the historic manuscripts of Timbuktu, which were spirited out of their fabled northern city when it was occupied by al-Qaida-linked militants more than a decade ago. Islamic extremists destroyed more than 4000 manuscripts, some dating back to the 13th century, after they seized Timbuktu in 2012, according to the findings of a United Nations expert mission. They also destroyed nine mausoleums and a mosque's door — all but one of the buildings on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The majority of the documents dating back to the 13th century — more than 27,000 — were saved by the devotion of the Timbuktu library's Malian custodians, who carried them out of the occupied city in rice sacks, on donkey carts, by motorcycle, by boat and four-wheel drive vehicles. The first batch of the manuscripts were brought to Timbuktu by plane from the capital of Bamako on Monday. Authorities said that the return was necessary to protect them from the threats of Bamako's humidity. The shipment consisted of more than 200 crates and weighed some 5.5 tonnes. The rest would be shipped in the coming days, officials said. About 706 kilometres from Bamako, Timbuktu sits on the edge of the Sahara Desert and has a dry climate. For years, the local municipal and religious authorities have asked for the return of the manuscripts. Diahara Touré, Timbuktu's deputy mayor, said the famous documents are important to the local people as they "reflect our civilisation and spiritual and intellectual heritage". In February, the military government committed to return the manuscripts, according to Bouréma Kansaye, the Malian Minister of Higher Education. He described them as a "legacy that bears witness to the intellectual greatness and crossroads of civilisation" of the city of Timbuktu — "a bridge between the past and the future". "We now have a responsibility to protect, digitise, study, and promote these treasures so that they continue to enlighten Mali, Africa, and the world," Kansaye said during Monday's return ceremony. The manuscripts, which UNESCO has designated as part of the World Cultural Heritage, cover a myriad subjects, from Islamic theology and jurisprudence, astronomy, medicine, mathematics, history, and geography. They are a testimony to the rich cultural heritage of the Mali and Songhai empires in West Africa. Mali, along with neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, has long battled an insurgency by armed militants, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following two military coups, the ruling junta expelled French troops and instead turned to Russia for security assistance. Still, 13 years after the occupation of Timbuktu, the security situation in Mali remains precarious and analysts say it has worsened in recent months. Although the city is back under government control, militants continue attacking its surroundings, including as recently as last month.
West Australian
3 hours ago
- West Australian
Timbuktu's famed manuscripts return home after 13 years
The Malian military government has started returning home the historic manuscripts of Timbuktu, which were spirited out of their fabled northern city when it was occupied by al-Qaida-linked militants more than a decade ago. Islamic extremists destroyed more than 4000 manuscripts, some dating back to the 13th century, after they seized Timbuktu in 2012, according to the findings of a United Nations expert mission. They also destroyed nine mausoleums and a mosque's door — all but one of the buildings on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The majority of the documents dating back to the 13th century — more than 27,000 — were saved by the devotion of the Timbuktu library's Malian custodians, who carried them out of the occupied city in rice sacks, on donkey carts, by motorcycle, by boat and four-wheel drive vehicles. The first batch of the manuscripts were brought to Timbuktu by plane from the capital of Bamako on Monday. Authorities said that the return was necessary to protect them from the threats of Bamako's humidity. The shipment consisted of more than 200 crates and weighed some 5.5 tonnes. The rest would be shipped in the coming days, officials said. About 706 kilometres from Bamako, Timbuktu sits on the edge of the Sahara Desert and has a dry climate. For years, the local municipal and religious authorities have asked for the return of the manuscripts. Diahara Touré, Timbuktu's deputy mayor, said the famous documents are important to the local people as they "reflect our civilisation and spiritual and intellectual heritage". In February, the military government committed to return the manuscripts, according to Bouréma Kansaye, the Malian Minister of Higher Education. He described them as a "legacy that bears witness to the intellectual greatness and crossroads of civilisation" of the city of Timbuktu — "a bridge between the past and the future". "We now have a responsibility to protect, digitise, study, and promote these treasures so that they continue to enlighten Mali, Africa, and the world," Kansaye said during Monday's return ceremony. The manuscripts, which UNESCO has designated as part of the World Cultural Heritage, cover a myriad subjects, from Islamic theology and jurisprudence, astronomy, medicine, mathematics, history, and geography. They are a testimony to the rich cultural heritage of the Mali and Songhai empires in West Africa. Mali, along with neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger, has long battled an insurgency by armed militants, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following two military coups, the ruling junta expelled French troops and instead turned to Russia for security assistance. Still, 13 years after the occupation of Timbuktu, the security situation in Mali remains precarious and analysts say it has worsened in recent months. Although the city is back under government control, militants continue attacking its surroundings, including as recently as last month.
