Indonesia: Law passed making sex outside marriage and cohabitation of unmarried couples illegal

Its parliament Indonesia approved legislation on Tuesday (6/12) that would outlaw the sex outside of marriagein a move that critics called a huge blow to rights in the world’s most populous Muslim country.

After the text was approved by all nine parties in a sweeping revision of the penal code, Deputy Speaker of the House Sufmi Dasko Ahmad struck the gavel to signal the text’s approval and shouted “legal”.

Revising Indonesia’s penal code, which dates back to the Dutch colonial era, has been debated for decades.

Rights groups protested the amendments, denouncing them as repression of individual and political liberties, as well as a shift towards fundamentalism in Muslim-majority Indonesia, where the constitution recognizes five religions besides Islam.

“We tried to do our best to accommodate the important issues and different points of view that were discussed,” Justice and Human Rights Minister Jasonna Laoli told parliament.

“However, it is time to take a historic decision to amend the penal code and leave behind the colonial penal code we inherited.”

Article criminalizing sex outside marriage has been criticized by Indonesian business groups as damaging to tourismalthough authorities insist foreigners traveling to Bali will not be affected.

The new code, which still needs to be approved by President Joko Widodo, will come into effect in three years.

Source: News Beast

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