This archive report was first published on 19 September 2019.
On September 19, 2019, Indonesia was set to vote on a plan to outlaw gay and pre-marital sex while beefing up its blasphemy laws, a move that has been met with widespread criticism from human rights groups.
The proposed criminal law overhaul could affect millions of people in the world's biggest Muslim-majority country, including heterosexual couples who might face jail for having sex outside wedlock or having an affair.
Andreas Harsono, senior Indonesia researcher at Human Rights Watch, described the draft criminal code as 'disastrous' for women and religious and gender minorities, as well as for all Indonesians.
"Indonesia's draft criminal code is disastrous not only for women and religious and gender minorities, but for all Indonesians," Harsono said.
Updating Indonesia's criminal code, which dates back to the Dutch colonial era, has been debated for decades. However, the mooted changes now appear set to be voted on in parliament before the end of the month, with strong support from religious groups.
"Even though the criminal code bill that will be ratified still has shortcomings, it's far better than the (one) today," said Robikin Emhas, a spokesman for the Nahdlatul Ulama, a major Islamic organisation.
However, rights groups say the proposals underscore a growing shift towards fundamentalism in a country long hailed for its religious tolerance.
"This is a setback," said Papang Hidayat, research manager at Amnesty International Indonesia. "Religious values as a source of lawmaking has now reached the national level -- that's worrying."
