Mon 7 Mar 2016 In: International News View at Wayback View at NDHA
Indonesia may be following in the footsteps of Russia, reportedly drafting a anti-LGBTI ‘propaganda’ bill. The Indonesian Communications and Information Minister is said to be drafting the law and will be setting up a panel to discuss the issue. A ministry spokesperson, Ismail Cawidu, told the Jakarta Post; “The House commission has urged us, so we have to follow up on their proposal. However, the panel will still refer to the mechanism [to ban such websites] as stipulated in the prevailing provision.” There has been a recent crackdown on social media websites such as Facebook and Tumblr in the country and the propaganda law has been proposed by the House of Representatives Commission, who suggest the issue is a matter of “national security”. Chair of the Commission, Muhfudz Siddiq says; “LGBT issues can damage national security, identity, culture and the faith of Indonesians.” In 2013, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, signed a similar law banning the “promotion of non-tradition sexual relations”, also known as the ‘anti-gay propaganda law’. Indonesia’s leading psychiatrists have recently classified homosexuality and gender dysphoria as mental disorders, saying they can be cured be “proper treatment”.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 7th March 2016 - 12:35pm