NextSharkNextShark.com

Two Gay Men Face 85 Lashes After Getting Brutally Beaten by Vigilantes in Indonesia

Two Gay Men Face 85 Lashes After Getting Brutally Beaten by Vigilantes in Indonesia

May 18, 2017
SHARE
Vigilantes stormed into a boarding house in Indonesia where two gay men are found to be naked and in bed together back in March. While filming, the thugs hurled insults, kicked and slapped the pair, aged 20 and 23, who laid naked on the ground, taking the beating.
The gay couple is now facing a sentence of 85 lashes after being found guilty of breaking sharia law in Aceh Province, an ultra-conservative part of the nation which strictly enforces Islamic regulations.
A disturbing video which showed the brutal beating the vigilantes brought to the helpless men, is now circulating online, Daily Mail reports. 
Local authorities of the provincial capital Banda Aceh arrested the couple following the incident. Upon questioning, they admitted they were in a relationship and had sexual activities three times.
Subscribe to
NextShark's Newsletter

A daily dose of Asian America's essential stories, in under 5 minutes.

Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories to your inbox daily for free.

Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive.

Judge Khairil Jamal, who presided the proceedings at Banda Aceh court, reportedly pronounced that the men had been “proven legally and convincingly guilty of committing gay sex, the defendants are sentenced to 85 strokes of the cane in public.”
The verdict increased the 80 lashes the prosecutors recommended. The men, whose names were withheld from the reports, covered their faces and bowed their heads throughout the hearing.
When the judge asked if they accepted the verdict, one simply nodded without speaking while the other softly responded with: “Please reduce my sentence.”
“This is an ordeal for our family,” the father of one of the accused was quoted as saying. “After this problem is resolved, we will send him to an Islamic boarding school to be educated so he won’t be deviant anymore.”
He said he did not know his son was gay prior being caught.
Aceh, being the only province in the country which implements Sharia law, enacted a local law in 2015 that punishes people for having gay sex with up to 100 strokes of the cane. Gay sex is not illegal in the rest of Indonesia.
Images via Reuters / YouTube
MOST READ
    HAPPENING NOW
      Ryan General

      Ryan General is a Senior Reporter for NextShark

      SHARE THIS ARTICLE:

      RELATED STORIES FROM NEXTSHARK

      Support
      NextShark's
      Journalism

      Many people might not know this, but NextShark is a small media startup that runs on no outside funding or loans, and with no paywalls or subscription fees, we rely on help from our community and readers like you.

      Everything you see today is built by Asians, for Asians to help amplify our voices globally and support each other. However, we still face many difficulties in our industry because of our commitment to accessible and informational Asian news coverage.

      We hope you consider making a contribution to NextShark so we can continue to provide you quality journalism that informs, educates, and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way. Thank you for supporting NextShark and our community.

      © 2023 NextShark, Inc. All rights reserved.