Some Indonesians expressed dismay yesterday after the parliament in the staunchly Muslim province of Aceh approved an Islamic crime bill that allows stoning-to-death for adulterers.
The provincial legislative council on Monday adopted the bill by acclamation despite criticism by human rights groups opposed to some of its harsh provisions.
Under the new law, a married person convicted of committing adultery could be stoned to death, while an unmarried person would face up to 100 lashes, according to media reports.
Homosexual acts are punishable by 100 lashes or a maximum eight years in jail.
“The passing of the bill is a climax of legislative irrationality,” said Hendardi, executive director of the SETARA Institute, a human rights group.
Experts said the provision on adultery would be difficult to implement. Under Islam, it requires four witnesses who saw the alleged offender in the act to prove adultery has taken place.
“I guarantee the by-law respects the rights of suspected offenders since one cannot just accuse others of committing adultery, as one who levels a false accusation is to be lashed 80 times,” Bachrom Rasyid, who chaired a committee deliberating the bill, was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Globe daily.
Some Indonesians said stoning was a medieval form of punishment that has no place in the modern world.
“This law will make people afraid to visit Aceh. It’s medieval and stupid,” said Indah Sari, a Jakarta resident who said she was a devout Muslim.
The Aceh government, led by former separatist rebel Irwandi Yusuf, said it would not implement the law.
“It’s final that the Aceh administration would not enforce stoning for Islamic Shariah violators,” Aceh deputy governor Muhammad Nazar was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Post daily. “In Islam, the law must protect its citizens’ human rights.”
North Korea blew up sections of roads in its own territory that are part of links once used to connect the southern part of the peninsula with the north, in a show of defiance after it accused Seoul of flying drones over Pyongyang. North Korea detonated bombs north of its eastern and western borders at around noon yesterday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. South Korea’s military later fired off warning shots within its border, said the JCS, which also confirmed there were no reports of damage in South Korea from the detonations. A video released by the South Korean
US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is in “excellent health” and fit for the presidency, according to a medical report published by the White House on Saturday as she challenged her rival, former US president Donald Trump, to publish his own health records. “Vice President Harris remains in excellent health,” her physician Joshua Simmons said in the report, adding that she “possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.” Speaking to reporters ahead of a trip to North Carolina, Harris called Trump’s unwillingness to publish his records “a further example
‘PROVOCATION’: Accusing Seoul of flying drones over Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaftlets, the North told eight artillery brigades ‘to get fully ready to open fire’ Tensions on the Korean Peninsula rose again after North Korea ordered troops along its southern border to be ready to fire and military leaders in Seoul said Pyongyang might be preparing to blow up roads connecting the two nations. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it detected efforts under way in North Korea to destroy the eastern and western roads connecting the two nations, warning that an explosion could take place as early as yesterday. That followed North Korea’s announcement last week that it would “completely separate” its territory from the South, blaming Seoul’s joint drills with the US and the
A member of chart-topping K-pop group NewJeans yesterday tearfully testified to South Korean lawmakers as part of an inquiry into workplace harassment, amid a boardroom drama over her super producer. In recent years, South Korea’s K-pop industry has become a global juggernaut powered by the success of groups like BTS, but domestically it is known for imposing strict standards and controls on fledgling stars. Rising K-pop idols are expected to adhere to their powerful agency’s behavior and appearance guidelines, with many stars describing receiving extreme backlash from fans over perceived mistakes in their personal lives, for example dating. Hanni, 20, who is