International

Indonesia: Criminalizes Sex Outside Of Marriage

Indonesia

Indonesian lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously passed a new criminal code on Tuesday, criminalizing sex outside marriage

Jakarta [Indonesia]: Indonesian lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously passed a new criminal code on Tuesday, criminalizing sex outside marriage.

“All have agreed to ratify the (draft changes) into law,” said lawmaker Bambang Wuryanto, who led the parliamentary commission, was quoted as saying by CNN. “The old code belongs to Dutch heritage … and is no longer relevant.” The US news broadcaster said the new code provides punishments for insulting the president or expressing views counter to the national ideology.

Addressing a presser, Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said he hoped that Indonesians understood that lawmakers had done everything they could to accommodate “public aspiration.”
Lately said it was not easy for a multicultural and multi-ethnic country to make a criminal code that “accommodates all interests”.

Also, Read: G20 Meeting: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Seeks Cooperation From Opposition Partie

He also invited dissatisfied parties to submit a judicial review to the constitutional court.
Earlier, human rights groups said that the new code would “disproportionately impact women” and further curtail human rights and freedoms in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.

“What we’re witnessing is a huge setback to Indonesia’s hard-won progress in protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms after the 1998 revolution. This criminal code should have never been passed in the first place,” said Usman Hamid, Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia.

Andreas Harsono, Human Rights Watch Indonesia Researcher said the laws are “a setback for already declining religious freedom in Indonesia,” warning that “non-believers could be prosecuted and jailed.”

“The danger of oppressive laws is not that they’ll be broadly applied, it’s that they provide avenue for selective enforcement,” he was quoted as saying by CNN.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by HW News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Dear Readers,
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
Some error occurred

Related posts

National Politics

New Delhi: German Delegation Observes ECI’s Protocols, Security Features In EVM-VVPAT Usage

ANI

A German delegation led by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock met Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi

New Delhi: A German delegation led by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock met Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi on Tuesday.

In a press note, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said The German Foreign Minister was accompanied by four Members of Parliament and other officers from her Foreign Office. Speaking on the occasion, CEC Rajiv Kumar said that the idea of democracy is deeply rooted in India’s historical context and traditions.

Giving an overview of the magnitude of Indian elections, he informed the German delegation of the detailed exercise that ECI conducts for over 950 million voters across 1.1 million polling stations, co-opting 11 million Polling Personnel ensuring robust electoral processes for conducting free, fair, inclusive, accessible and participative elections. He emphasised that ECI ensures disclosures and participation of political parties at every stage.

Kumar said apart from the logistical challenges, the disruptive impact of fake social media narratives potentially affecting free and fair elections is fast emerging as a common challenge for most Elections Management Bodies.

The German Foreign Minister while interacting with the Commission appreciated the vast exercise of electoral management by ECI in the largest democracy in the world given the challenges of diverse geography, culture & electorate in India.

Also, Read: “Rupee Fared Relatively Well Versus Other Emerging Market Currencies”: World Bank

The Minister was briefed about the extensive use of technology by ECI in the conduct of elections broadly under three verticals of voters’ participation, political parties/candidates and election machinery logistics.
She personally cast a vote through EVM during a demonstration of EVM-VVPAT functioning organized by ECI for the delegation. She, along with the MPs, keenly observed the strong security features of standalone EVMs along with rigorous administrative protocols on handling, movement, storage, operations and the process for participation of political parties at every stage of electoral processes involving EVMs.

Both India and Germany are members of the International Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), Stockholm and the Community of Democracies, Warsaw.

“ECI’s constant endeavor is to foster a closer electoral cooperation with electoral authorities abroad alongside strengthening democratic institutions and processes with a view to deepen people-to-people linkages and promote civic education and literacy, including education for democracy,” the press note said.

ECI under the aegis of Summit for Democracy will also be organizing the second international conference on ‘Use of Technology and Elections Integrity’ in January 2023 ahead of the National Voters Day 2023. Senior officials from the German Foreign Office, German Embassy in New Delhi and Election Commission of India were also present during the occasion.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by HW News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Related posts