Indonesian police have raided the homes of “suspected lesbians” as part of an ongoing crackdown on suspected LGBTI people. Human Rights Watch protested the actions as invasions of privacy and human rights abuses. Continue reading
Category Archives: Oceania
‘Now Indonesia Wants to Hide Its Floggings’
Confronted with international outrage over the public flogging of gay men, the Indonesian province of Aceh has moved the floggings indoors. Continue reading
Indonesian Muslim leader urges boycott of pro-LGBT Starbucks
A leader of Indonesia’s second-largest Muslim organization has called for a boycott of the Starbucks coffee chain because of its LGBT-friendly policies. Continue reading
International coalition targets Indonesia’s anti-LGBT abuses
Dozens of organizations worldwide have formed a coalition seeking to end persecution of LGBT people in Indonesia. In the following statement, the coalition asks for support from allies worldwide: Continue reading
Commentary: Indonesian police fuel anti-LGBT hysteria
Indonesia’s national police force should immediately investigate recent raids by local law enforcement on gatherings of gay men, Human Rights Watch said [June 2] in a letter to national police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian. Indonesia’s police leadership should commit to ending the targeting of sexual minorities and uphold their obligation to protect everyone’s basic rights … Continue reading
LGBT repression grows in Indonesia, with 141 arrests, public caning
Indonesia has ramped up its repression of LGBT people, with a public caning yesterday in Aceh province and the arrests of 141 men over the weekend at an alleged “gay sex party” at a sauna in Jakarta, the nation’s capital and largest city. The raid occurred three weeks after a similar raid in Surabaya, the … Continue reading
Mike Pence praises anti-LGBT Indonesia as modern Islamic model
While human rights activists criticize Indonesia’s failure to curb anti-LGBT zealots and roll back homophobic fundamentalist Islamic laws, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence praised Indonesia as a model of “modern Islam” that other Muslim-majority countries should follow. Continue reading
Indonesia keeps persecuting its LGBT citizens
Indonesia is continuing to persecute LGBTI people, Human Rights Watch reports. At a time when two men have been jailed on homosexuality charges, Indonesia President Joko Widodo missed an opportunity to roll back repressive sharia laws. Continue reading
Study: Anti-LGBT bias costs Indonesia up to $12 billion
Discrimination against LGBT people in Indonesia costs that country $900 million to nearly $12 billion per year, a new study calculates. Continue reading
Outcry over slaying of openly gay man in Papua New Guinea
LGBTI community members in Papua New Guinea are seeking a thorough police investigation of the death of openly gay man who allegedly was killed by a relative. Harry Peter of Alotau was killed on Oct. 2 after being confronted by a family member for “not being proper,” Radio Australia reported. “The family member brought another … Continue reading