Indonesia Passes Criminal Code Banning Sex Outside Marriage

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Any person insulting the government could be punished with up to 18 months in prison. If the offense leads to social unrest, the jail term could stretch to three years.

Spreading "fake news" could hold a punishment of up to six years in prison.

On Monday, hundreds of Indonesians protested in several cities, demanding that the bill be scrapped.

Meanwhile, rights groups have denounced the legislation as morality policing, and activists see it as a clampdown on civil and political freedoms.

Rights groups concerned

Indonesia’s population is predominantly Muslim, but the nation's recognized religions also include Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.

While most Muslims practice a moderate version of Islam, there has been a rise in religious conservatism in recent years, which has also made its way into politics.

Blasphemy, the purported notion of insulting religion or its central tenets, is already outlawed in Indonesia. The law can apply to all six of the country's recognized religions, and Human Rights Watch says Indonesia has used the law more aggressively in recent years. It can carry a five-year prison sentence.

Rights groups have said that the proposals in the bill highlight a growing shift towards fundamentalism in Indonesia, which has secularism enshrined in its constitution.

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There are also concerns that these rules could have a major impact on the LGBTQ community in the country, where same-sex marriage is illegal.

Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, barring the semi-autonomous Aceh province, but is generally considered taboo.

Stringent religion-based laws on relationships and sex are already there in some parts of Indonesia.

In sharia-ruled Aceh, public floggings have taken place for homosexuality and adultery.

Sources: dpa, AFP, AP, Reuters, DW