Indonesia Sentences Two Young Men to 80 Lashes for Homosexuality

The trial at the Islamic District Court in Banda Aceh, the province’s capital, was held behind closed doors. The sentence will be carried out in public. According to the Associated Press, Aceh is considered ‘the most conservative Indonesian region’ and is the only one to implement Sharia law in the country. The local Islamic police filed a report against the men, accusing them of having a gay relationship in violation of Aceh’s Islamic laws banning homosexual behavior. The men, whose identities were not disclosed, were found guilty of breaking the province’s Islamic bylaws that prohibit same-sex relationships.