Indonesia passes criminal code banning sex outside marriage

<p><strong>New Delhi:</strong> Indonesia approved a criminal code on Tuesday that forbids sex outside of marriage and carries a penalty of up to one year in prison, as part of a slew of legislative reforms that critics claim undermine civil liberties in the world's third-largest democracy.</p> <p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI" data-testid="paragraph-1">The controversial new laws also criminalises criticising the president or state institutions and expressing views counter to state ideology. These laws are subjected to both Indonesian citizens and visitors alike.&nbsp;</p> <p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI" data-testid="paragraph-2">The lawmakers praised the passage of the criminal code that the nation has been discussing revising since declaring independence from the Dutch, the news agency Reuters reported.</p> <p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI" data-testid="paragraph-2"><strong>ALSO READ:</strong> <a title="Indonesia Raises Volcano Warning To Highest Level After Mount Semeru Erupts" href="https://ift.tt/R5GFYwz" target="_blank" rel="dofollow noopener">Indonesia Raises Volcano Warning To Highest Level After Mount Semeru Erupts</a></p> <p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI" data-testid="paragraph-3">"The old code belongs to Dutch heritage... and is no longer relevant now," Bambang Wuryanto, head of the parliamentary commission in charge of revising the code told lawmakers.</p> <p class="dcr-2v2zi4">&ldquo;We have tried our best to accommodate the important issues and different opinions which were debated. However, it is time for us to make a historical decision on the penal code amendment and to leave the colonial criminal code we inherited behind,&rdquo; Yasonna Laoly, minister of law and human rights, told parliament, the news agency AFP reported.</p> <p class="dcr-2v2zi4">The approval, according to Reuters, comes despite warnings from business groups that it would damage Indonesia's reputation as a tourist and investment destination.</p> <p class="dcr-2v2zi4">Rights groups had protested against the amendments, denouncing a crackdown on civil liberties and a shift toward religious fundamentalism.</p> <div class="spacing-container__container__2g5QT spacing-container__t-spacing-single__1uXb9 spacing-container__b-spacing-single__2RCDp spacing-container__always__1sLhR spacing-container__max-width__zScFd" data-testid="Latest Updates"> <div class="desktop-latest-updates__container__3z03m"> <p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI" data-testid="paragraph-5">Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, has seen a rise in religious conservatism in recent years with legal experts suggesting the new laws around morality, and a separate article on customary law will reinforce discriminatory and sharia-inspired bylaws at the local level.</p> </div> </div> <div class="spacing-container__container__2g5QT spacing-container__max-width__zScFd"> <div class="ad-slot__container__FEnoz ad-slot__fixed-height__6m70D"> <p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI" data-testid="paragraph-6">The bill's opponents have highlighted articles they claim are socially backward, would restrict free speech, and will be a "major setback" in preserving democratic liberties following the fall of authoritarian leader Suharto in 1998.</p> <p class="text__text__1FZLe text__dark-grey__3Ml43 text__regular__2N1Xr text__large__nEccO body__full_width__ekUdw body__large_body__FV5_X article-body__element__2p5pI" data-testid="paragraph-6"><em><strong>(With inputs from agencies)</strong></em></p> </div> </div>