Indonesia: Stonings For Adultery, Public Lashings And Prison For Homosexuals

Weeks before they will be ousted for a more moderate government, lawmakers in the Indonesian province of Aceh have unanimously approved a law dictating the stoning to death of adulterers and the public lashings and imprisonment of gays. People found “guilty” of homosexuality are now subject to eight years in prison.

Human rights groups immediately denounced the vote. The incoming Aceh Party is thought to have a less strict position on shariah law, but it’s unclear whether they would move to reverse the new punishments. Other Indonesian provinces, while also predominantly Muslim, are more moderate. Aceh suffered the worst casualties of the 2005 tsunami, with over 130,000 killed.

RELATED: Stoning to death is legal in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and parts of Nigeria.