Yahoo News British man among 141 arrested by Indonesian police over 'gay sex party' at Jakarta sauna
A British national is among 141 men detained by Indonesian police in a raid on a gay sauna in the capital, Jakarta. The men were detained for questioning after police raided what they claimed was a gay sex party promoted as “The Wild One” on Sunday night.
Rights activists say it is the latest sign of growing hostility towards homosexuality in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
Lawyers now claim they have been denied access to the men, leading to fears that the police will try to force confessions to be later used against them.
Teams of lawyers had descended on the North Jakarta police precinct where the men are being held to offer legal assistance, but to no avail, Ricky Gunawan from the Community Legal Aid Institute told The Telegraph.
“It’s been quite difficult to get access in terms of information as well as to get their permission to sign power of attorney…to ensure that their rights are respected in this legal process,” he said.
Mr Gunawan claimed this was a common tactic used by Indonesian police immediately after arrest. “Usually this is the time where the people arrested will confess and then the police will use their confessions because there is no lawyer present,” he said.
As media waited for a police news conference on Monday afternoon, some of the arrested men were put on display, their faces covered by black ski masks.
Conditions at the precinct were very overcrowded, he added.
Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia but the police were using “loosely defined” pornography laws, Gunawan said.
“That’s why we have been rejecting the pornography law since it was enacted in 2009,” he said.
Police have so far said that ten will be charged, including the sauna’s owner and several strippers. If found guilty they face a jail term of up to ten years.
Others arrested must be released by Tuesday morning if there is no evidence of criminality found against them. Otherwise they could be detained for 20 days.
Legal aid groups said their rights had already been violated after police photographed them naked and facilitated the spread of those images on social media.
Two men face caning on Tues for gay sex in the conservative province of Aceh. The Jakarta raid was “another indicator of the decline in gender minorities’ rights in Indonesia,” said Andreas Harsono, a researcher with Human Rights Watch, warning that the situation was likely to get worse.
“Sadly it coincides with the rise of intolerant Islamism in Indonesia,” said Mr Harsono. “It’s time to question the notion that Indonesia is a moderate Muslim majority country.”
