Greens senator Janet Rice has written to the Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop, calling for action against Indonesia for the discrimination of its LGBTI community.
Senator Rice posted a letter to Twitter earlier this week arguing that Australia had a responsibility to protect the human rights of LGBTI people in Indonesia.
In recent months there have been an increasing number of reports of gay people targeted by police who use the country’s vaguely worded anti-pornography laws to arrest and detain LGBTI people.
In the province of Aceh, which observes Islamic Sharia law, a group of twelve transgender women were arrested by police and forced to have their heads shaved and wear male clothing. Police reportedly forced the women to shout while being forced to run in order to “develop their male voices”.
In her letter to Bishop Senator Rice said she was concerned about reports indicating that Indonesia was moving to criminalise homosexuality.
On Friday the Indonesia Health Ministry announced its plans to list homosexuality as a mental disorder.
OIP Staff
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