More on a story we first reported last night. Only weeks before they are ousted from power for a more moderate government, hard-liners in Indonesia's devoutly Muslim Aceh province voted unanimously that adulterers can be stoned to death and gays should be publicly lashed and imprisoned.
NPR: "The new Indonesian law also imposes tough sentences and fines, to be paid in kilograms of gold, for rape and pedophilia, but the most hotly disputed article was on adultery and states that offenders can be punished by a minimum of 100 lashings and a maximum of stoning to death. It also imposes severe prison terms for other behavior considered morally unacceptable, including homosexuality, which will be punishable by public lashings and more than eight years in prison."
A gay rights activist in Aceh says the bill violates national and international treaties signed by Indonesia protecting the rights of minorities and women. Aceh province suffered the brunt of the devastating 2005 tsunami and some 130,000 were killed.
Stoning to death under harsh Sharia law is legally sanctioned in Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and parts of Nigeria.
What about the fornicators? How come no punishment for the fornicators? That's not fair!
Posted by: jmb | 15 September 2009 at 19:34