It’s not too late to stop the caning of gay men in Indonesia

Human rights organizations are calling on the public to speak out against the caning sentence of two men convicted of sodomy in Indonesia’s Aceh province.

Human Rights Watch was one of many groups to call on Indonesian President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo to intervene and stop the caning sentence.

Two men were arrested in March on suspicion of homosexuality and sodomy in Aceh.

Last week, they were sentence to 85 lashes with a cane, despite prosecutors asking for only 80. Their sentence is due to be carried out on May 23. It is the first time Aceh – which has special Islamic Sharia by-laws – has convicted someone of homosexuality.

‘President Jokowi has spoken out in support of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in Indonesia, so the imminent public flogging of two young men for same-sex relations is a crucial moment to act,’ said Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

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