The country is about to adopt a new criminal code that criminalizes sex outside of marriage, insulting the president, and any opinion contrary to state ideology
Indonesia’s parliament is expected to adopt a new criminal code this month that would make sex outside marriage punishable by up to a year in prison, as well as cohabitation before marriage.
According to the new criminal code, it will also be forbidden to insult the president and state institutions of Indonesia and to express views contrary to the state ideology.
The new criminal code has been in preparation for decades and is expected to be adopted on December 15.
Under the latest draft, dated Nov. 24, sex outside of marriage — an offense that can be reported by specific people, mostly relatives of the couple — is punishable by up to a year in prison.
Insulting the president, an offense that can only be denounced by the president himself, carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
If passed, the new criminal code will apply to both Indonesians and foreigners in the country, with some businesses expressing concern about the negative impact it could have on Indonesia’s image as a tourist and investment destination.
“We are proud to have a penal code that is consistent with Indonesian values,” said the country’s deputy justice minister, Edward Omar Sharif Hiariez.
The draft of the new penal code has the support of some Islamic groups in a country seeing a rise in conservatism, but critics say it reverses liberal reforms adopted after the 1998 fall of Indonesia’s authoritarian leader Suharto.
A previous draft of the penal code was supposed to be adopted in 2019, but this was not done after protests broke out across the country.
At the time tens of thousands of people had taken to the streets protesting various articles of the code, mainly the laws dealing with morality and freedom of speech, complaining that they were encroaching on civil liberties.
Critics of the new criminal code say there have been very few changes compared to the 2019 draft. Some of the changes include changing the death penalty to life after ten years of good behavior.
However, the provisions for the criminalization of abortions, even in cases of rape, and prison sentences for “black magic” remain.
In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, there are various rules at the local level that discriminate against women, religious minorities and the LGBTI community.
Just weeks after the country hosted the G20 summit, business representatives say the new criminal code will send the wrong message about Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.
“For the business sector, the implementation of this customary law will create legal uncertainty and make investors reconsider their intention to invest in Indonesia,” said Sinda Uinjaja Sukamdani, vice president of the Indonesian Employers’ Association.
The changes to the criminal code will be a “major setback for democracy in Indonesia,” complained Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch.
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
