Jakarta Globe, Sheany, December 15, 2017
The Constitutional Court on Thursday (14/12) rejected a petition by a conservative group to make extramarital and same-sex relationships illegal. (Antara Photo/ Rosa Panggabean) |
Jakarta.
The Constitutional Court on Thursday (14/12) rejected a petition by a
conservative group to make extramarital and same-sex relationships illegal.
The court
said the petition was legally baseless.
In May, a
group of academics, some of them members of conservative group Family Love
Alliance (AILA), filed a petition requesting the court to impose criminal
penalties of up to five years in prison for all sex outside marriage.
Five of
nine judges voted to dismiss the petition, arguing that new offenses should be
introduced to the criminal code by lawmakers, not the Constitutional Court.
"Just
because a law is considered incomplete or no longer in line with social norms
does not mean it contradicts the Constitution," Judge Saldi Isra said.
Beside Saldi,
the judges who rejected the petition are Maria Farida Indrawati, Manahan
Sitompul, I Gede Palguna and Suhartoyo.
According
to the Community Legal Aid Institute (LBH Masyarakat), the petition was an
attempt to deteriorate Indonesia's human rights protection agenda. In a tweet
it expressed hope that the court will not bow to group pressure.
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