Amnesty International is calling on Indonesian authorities to release 75 people arrested and detained at a ‘gay party’.
Indonesian police confirmed that they had conducted a raid on a villa in the Puncak area of Bognor, near the capital of Jakarta on Sunday night.
The local police chief said the raid was carried out following reports from the public regarding “gay activities” at the location. The police claimed to have secured a number of pieces of evidence, among them sex toys, four condoms and a sword used for a dance performance. They arrested 75 people, which comprised 74 men and one woman.
Amnesty International Indonesia’s Deputy Director Wirya Adiwena said it was a clear violation of human rights.
“This discriminatory raid on a privately rented villa is a blatant violation of human rights and privacy that exemplifies the hostile environment for LGBTI people in Indonesia. This gathering violated no law and posed no threat.
“The Indonesian authorities must end these hate-based and humiliating raids. No one should be subjected to arrest, intimidation or public shaming because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
“The police must immediately release all those arrested. Indonesia’s government must also take urgent steps to ensure accountability for human rights violations committed by the police, and work toward creating an environment where LGBTI individuals and their allies can live free from fear and harassment.”
After being detained all of the men were forced to undergo ‘health checks’ and HIV tests.
The raid is part of a growing trend in Indonesia targeting LGBTIQA+ people. Police detained nine people following a raid on a “gay sex party” at a hotel in South Jakarta on 24 May, while 56 individuals were detained for participating in “a gay party” in a raid on a different hotel in South Jakarta on 1 February.
In another case two men were arrested for running a Facebook group which provided a space for thousands of gay men in Surabaya to connect.
Those arrested in raids could face prison terms of up to 15 years for breaching Indonesia’s Pornography Law.
Homosexuality has never been illegal in Indonesia but the LGBTIQA+ community is often targeted by police using the country’s vaguely worded laws against pornography. In previous cases shirtless photos of two men have been declared pornographic.
Amnesty International says the Pornography Law defines pornography broadly, encompassing material that contravenes norms of community morality. Ambiguously worded laws on pornography are often exploited to deliberately target LGBTI people, denying them the basic right to privacy and the right to enter into consensual relationships.
