An Indonesian court has handed down two-year prison sentences to ten men who were charged with breaking the country’s anti-pornography laws.

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The men were accused of taking part in a ‘gay sex party’ at a Jakarta Sauna. Over 140 men were arrested at the venue earlier this year, most were let off, but ten have been given harsh prison sentences.

The ten men were also order to pay a billion rupiah is fines, which equates to $73,000 Australian dollars.

The controversial 2008 law has a vague interpretation of what can be classed as pornography, and have been widely criticised by international human rights groups, including the United Nations.

In the last 18 months there have been a growing number of cases where the laws have been used to target the LGBTI population. While 141 men were arrested in May, another case in October saw an additional 51 men arrested.

Human rights advocates have criticised the use of the law, and the sentences handed down.

“It is an abuse of these gay men’s rights. It is not a crime, they did not hurt anyone,” said Andreas Harsono, a Human Rights Watch researcher in Jakarta.

Homosexuality has never been been illegal in Indonesia , except in the province of Aceh, but recently there have been repeated calls from religious groups and conservative politicians to change the laws.

The trial was held in a closed court last week, on the same day that another Indonesian court rejected a push to criminalise gay sex, and sex outside of wedlock.

Ricky Gunawan, Director of Jakarta´s Community Legal Aid Institute said the timing of the two cases was was ironic.

“While the Constitutional Court said social norms should not be addressed using law enforcement, the North Jakarta court sentenced these people using such a problematic law,” Gunawan said.

OIP Staff