Raid in Indonesia: 75 people during the gay party arrested!

Raid in Indonesia: 75 people during the gay party arrested!

Bogor, Indonesien - in Indonesia it has been bubbling for a long time, especially with regard to the rights of the LGBT+community. On June 22, 2023, the police in Bogor searched a private villa and arrested 75 people. Not only "false" sexual tendencies were cited as the reason for the raid, which was titled as a "gay party", but also the confiscation of condoms, sex toys and a blade known as art. Although those arrested were asked about their "homosexual activities", no formal charges were raised, which reinforced the legal gray area in which LGBT+person in Indonesia moves. According to fugues, homosexuality is not illegal, except in the provinces of file and southernly, where the Scharia is prohibits same -sex relationships.

The Indonesian authorities primarily focus on the vague anti-pornography law of 2008 to put the LGBT+community under pressure. Penalties can be up to 15 years in prison. The number of police raids in private meetings has been increasing since 2016: in 2023, two more raids have already been carried out with a total of 65 arrests. A particularly drastic measure occurred in February 2023, when two students were spotted publicly in Aceh because they had mutually acceptable homosexual relationships.

human rights violations and international criticism

The human rights organization Amnesty International has sharply condemned the arrests in Bogor and described as a "flagrant violation of human rights and privacy". Usman Hamid, Managing Director of Amnesty International Indonesia, called for the immediate release of the arrested and the withdrawal of all charges. Hamid draws attention to the fact that the raids and the incidents that other LGBT+people treat are part of a larger pattern in which LGBT+people are discriminated against and persecuted in Indonesia. The discriminatory statements of legislators and religious groups that support these raids are also worrying Queeramnesty.

The discrimination goes beyond the arrests. In the past, the Indonesian government has excluded certain educational measures by keeping people with "deviant sexual behavior" of job offers in the public service. The Gadjah Mada University also recently caused excitement when the Faculty of the Faculty of Engineering forbidden or behavior in relation to LGBT prohibited what protests triggered. The LGBT+movement is therefore faced with an increasingly enemy climate that is characterized by a wide range of repressive laws and social stigmatization.

a worrying trend

The current situation of the LGBT+community in Indonesia is characterized by fear and repressive measures. According to wikipedia, those responsible have even spread in the military and politics of conspiracy theories against the LGBT+movement. The Minister of Defense, Ryamizard Ryacudu, described the activities as "weapons of the western world", which shows that the state rhetoric against LGBT+persons further gains intensity.

In May 2024, a law was proposed that could significantly restrict the spread of LGBT+content in the media, which could further change the tonality of fundamental discussions for sexual orientation in the country. While the international community attracts more attention to these human rights violations, the central question remains: How long will LGBT+person in Indonesia still have to live under these conditions?