Under the charges of violating Islamic law that prohibits homosexuality, this couple was sentenced to 85 lashes each. A month before, two young men in Aceh were also arrested by a group of unidentified vigilantes for having same-sex relationships. In April, the police also raided an alleged “gay sex party” in a hotel room in Surabaya, arresting 14 men and forcing them to undergo HIV tests. However, this incident is not the only one of similar nature in the last few months. Since Indonesia is a land of conspiracy theories, some might speculate that this raid was intended to divert public attention from a sex scandal involving the Islamic religious vigilante group leader Rizieq Shihab and the coordinator of Solidaritas Sahabat Cendana Foundation Firza Husein. The venue, previously known as a gym by its neighbors, was holding a special event called “The Wild One”. Last Sunday night, 141 gay men were arrested by Indonesian police in a raid of an alleged gay sauna in North Jakarta.
