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Indonesia Passes New Criminal Code Cracking Down on Free Speech, LGBTQ Community

HeadlineDec 07, 2022

Indonesia’s parliament passed a sweeping new criminal code that bans extramarital sex for anyone living in, or even visiting, the country. LGBTQ people are especially at risk since same-sex marriage is illegal in Indonesia. The criminal code also punishes anyone who insults the president or expresses opinions that diverge from the national ideology. On Tuesday, protesters gathered in front of the parliament in Jakarta.

Adhitiya Augusta Triputra: “The government should focus on fulfilling people’s civil rights, the economy and culture, such as job vacancies, healthcare and etc. They should have passed laws related to that. Instead, they passed a law that is not democratic, controls our private lives and does not take care of public matters. It is a setback for our country, which has fought for reform, and now we are moving backwards.”

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