An activist shouts slogans during a protest, as Indonesia is set to pass a new criminal code that will ban sex outside marriage, cohabitation between unmarried couples, insulting the president, and expressing views counter to the national ideology, outside the Indonesian Parliament buildings in Jakarta, Indonesia, December 5, 2022. REUTERS
JAKARTA 鈥� Indonesia鈥檚 parliament on Tuesday approved a criminal code that bans sex outside marriage with a punishment of up to one year in jail, part of a raft of legal changes that critics say undermine civil liberties in the world鈥檚 third-largest democracy.
The controversial new laws, which apply to Indonesians and foreigners alike, also include a ban on insulting the president or state institutions and expressing views counter to state ideology.
Legislators hailed the passage of the criminal code that the Southeast Asian nation has been discussing revising since declaring independence from the Dutch.
鈥淭he old code belongs to Dutch heritage鈥� and is no longer relevant now,鈥� Bambang Wuryanto, head of the parliamentary commission in charge of revising the code told lawmakers.
The approval comes even as business groups warned it could harm Indonesia鈥檚 image as a tourism and investment destination.
Indonesia, the world鈥檚 largest Muslim-majority nation, has seen a rise in religious conservatism in recent years with legal experts suggesting the new laws around morality, and a separate article on customary law will reinforce discriminatory and sharia-inspired bylaws at the local level.
Opponents of the bill have highlighted articles they say are socially regressive, will curb free speech and represent a 鈥渉uge setback鈥� in ensuring the retention of democratic freedoms after the fall of authoritarian leader Suharto in 1998.
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Indonesia set to penalize sex outside marriage in overhaul of criminal code
Indonesia set to pass new criminal code that will ban sex outside marriage