Indonesia passes criminal code banning sex outside marriage

Indonesia's parliament unanimously passed a long-awaited amendment to its penal code on Tuesday, making sex outside marriage a punishable offense and would apply to citizens of the country and foreigners traveling to the country alike. .

The law also prohibits the promotion of contraceptives and prohibits insulting the President and government institutions. The amended code also expands the existing blasphemy law and provides for up to five years in prison for any deviation from the central tenets of Indonesia's six recognized religions - Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

'The law will protect the institutions of marriage'

Albert Aries, spokesman for the Ministry of Law and Human Rights' Criminal Code Bill dissemination team, defended the amendments ahead of the vote, saying the law would protect the institution of marriage. He said that only a spouse, parents or children can report pre-marital sex and extra-marital affairs. However, rights groups have rejected the law as an oversight of morality.

'Radicalism on the rise'

A revision of Indonesia's criminal code dates back to the Dutch colonial era, but has been debated for decades. Rights groups say the proposals underscore a growing shift towards fundamentalism in the country, which has long been renowned for its religious tolerance.

'We're going backwards'

Usman Hamid, director of Amnesty International Indonesia, told AFP: "We are going backwards... repressive laws should have been abolished, but the bill shows that the arguments of scholars abroad are indisputably true in our democracy." decline is coming."