Indonesian Parliament approves Law Banning Outside Marriage

Indonesia’s parliament on Tuesday approved legislation that would outlaw outside marriage while making other sweeping changes to the criminal code – a move critics described as a blow to the country’s independence.

After the controversial new criminal code received a majority vote from lawmakers during a plenary session, Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasko Ahmed banged the gavel and shouted “legal” to approve the text.

Rights groups opposed the amendments, condemning the crackdown on civil liberties and a shift towards radicalism in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation.

“We have done our best to accommodate the important issues and differing opinions that were debated. However, it is time for us to take a historic decision on the Penal Code Amendment and leave behind the Colonial Criminal Code, Yasona Laoli, Minister for Law and Human Rights told in parliament.

Some of the most controversial articles in the newly passed code are criminalizing premarital and extramarital, as well as cohabitation between unmarried couples.

There are also fears that these rules could have a major impact on the LGBTQ community in Indonesia where same marriage is not permitted.

Albert Aries, spokesman for the Ministry of Law and Human Rights’ criminal code bill dissemination team, defended the amendments ahead of the vote, saying the law would protect the institution of marriage.

He added that pre-marital and extramarital can only be reported by the spouse, parents or children, limiting the scope of the amendment.

But rights groups dismissed the law as a morality oversight and activists denounced it as a crackdown on civil and political liberties.

A revision of Indonesia’s criminal code, which dates back to the Dutch colonial era, has been debated for decades.

Rights groups say the proposals underscore a growing shift toward fundamentalism in the country, which has long been renowned for its religious tolerance, with secularism enshrined in its constitution.

Osman Hamid, director of Amnesty International Indonesia, told AFP: “We are going backwards… repressive laws should have been abolished but the bill shows that scholars abroad are right, the undeniable decline of our democracy.” Coming.”

Around a hundred people protested against the bill on Monday and unfurled a yellow banner that read, “Reject the passage of the Criminal Code amendment”, with some flower petals on the banner as carried for a funeral .

Abdul Ghofar, a campaigner for Indonesian environmental group Walhi, said the symbolic acts reflected the public’s “sadness” at the impending passage of the amendment.

Another protest to reject the new law is due to take place in front of Parliament House on Tuesday.