- Title: Indonesia parliament ratifies criminal code that bans sex outside marriage
- Date: 6th December 2022
- Summary: JAKARTA, INDONESIA (DECEMBER 6, 2022) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF PARLIAMENT BUILDING SIGN READING (Bahasa Indonesia): “PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL†VARIOUS OF FOUNTAIN OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT BUILDING
- Embargoed: 20th December 2022 05:04
- Keywords: Indonesia criminal code law parliament reform
- Location: JAKARTA, INDONESIA
- City: JAKARTA, INDONESIA
- Country: Indonesia
- Topics: Asia / Pacific,Lawmaking,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002468206122022RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Indonesia's parliament on Tuesday (December 6) approved a criminal code that bans sex outside marriage with a punishment of up to one year in jail, part of a raft of legal changes that critics say undermine civil liberties in the world's third-largest democracy.
The controversial new laws, which apply to Indonesians and foreigners alike, also include a ban on insulting the president or state institutions and expressing views counter to state ideology.
Legislators hailed the passage of the criminal code that the Southeast Asian nation has been discussing revising since declaring independence from the Dutch. The approval comes even as business groups warned it could harm Indonesia's image as a tourism and investment destination.
Opponents of the bill have highlighted articles they say are socially regressive, will curb free speech and represent a "huge setback" in ensuring the retention of democratic freedoms after the fall of authoritarian leader Suharto in 1998.
(Production: Yuddy Cahya Budiman, Angie Teo) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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