Published: Less than 10 min ago
Indonesia’s parliament has approved changes to the country’s criminal code that, among other things, prohibit premarital sex. Cohabitation between unmarried couples is also prohibited.
The controversial law change also makes advertising of contraceptives as well as religious blasphemy illegal. The amendment to the law also includes a ban on insulting a sitting president and vice president as well as state institutions.
The laws apply to both citizens and foreigners visiting the country.
A similar proposal to the current one was up for a vote back in 2019, but it then caused major protests across the country. Tens of thousands demonstrated against the proposal in the streets and in several places mainly students clashed with the police.
Parts of the country, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, already have local laws banning sex outside of marriage and other crimes if deemed to violate moral guidelines.