Two men in Indonesia’s Aceh province face caning for gay sex

Two men faced up to 100 strokes with a rattan cane in the Indonesia province of Aceh, after the neighbours reported them to religious police for being gay.

According to media reports the neighbours suspected the men might be in a relationship and reportedly filmed the pair having sex before alerting authorities.

The two men are 20 and 23 years old and were arrested on 29th March.

If found guilty the two men will be the first people convicted under the regions strict Sharia laws that were implemented two years ago.

The punishment for sex between two men can be 100 strokes of a cane, 100 months in prison or a fine of 1000 grams of gold.

Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, but the Aceh province was given permission to implement their own religious based laws after along period of conflict.

A court petition is currently being considered which would outlaw sex outside of marriage, and sex between people of the same gender, across the entire country.

OIP Staff