Violent protest on premarital sex bill in Indonesia

Protests over the ban on ‘sex before marriage’ in Indonesia have turned violent.

Demonstrations were held in other parts of Indonesia and other cities over the controversial bill. Police used tear gas shells and water cannons on the people performing in front of the Indonesian parliament.

In most cases in the proposed Indonesian bill, abortion and ‘insult to the president’ have been considered illegal.

The disputed bill has not yet been passed in the midst of the protests, but the protesters are worried that it will eventually be passed through Parliament.

What is in the disputed bill?

The proposed bill contains a new criminal code, which is something like this:

• Sex before marriage is considered a punishable offense and can be punished for one year.
• Living together before marriage, living in a live-in relationship is also considered a crime and can be imprisoned for up to six months.
• It is illegal to ‘insult’ the President, Vice President, religion, government institutions and national symbols such as the national flag or the national anthem.
• Garbage is a punishable offense. In addition to rape and medical emergency cases, abortion under other conditions can lead to a jail term of four years.

Earlier this bill was to be voted on Tuesday, but President Joko Widodow postponed it till Friday. Vidodo said that the bill needs further consideration.

Why are people protesting?

Even though the President has said that the bill needs to be considered more, the people of Indonesia are worried that the bill will eventually be passed through the doors of the Parliament.

There is anger among people that the Commission for the Elimination of Corruption has been weakened in the new bill. The Corruption Eradication Commission is the main body in Indonesia handling corruption cases.

What happened in the protests?

Thousands of protesters marched in different parts of Indonesia. Young students also participated enthusiastically in these demonstrations. Protests became violent in many places.

In the capital Jakarta, protesters demonstrated in front of Parliament and demanded to meet the speaker of Parliament, Bambang Sausatio. There was a violent clash between the protesters and the police here.

The protesters threw stones at the police and in response, the police threw tear gas shells and water splashes at them.

During the protest, a female protestor was seen holding a plank in her hands and wrote on the plank, The space between my legs is not that of the government.

Fuad Wahiyudin, who studied at the Islamic University of West Java, told news agency Reuters, We are opposing the new law made for anti-corruption agency.

It is being told that more than 5,000 security forces have been deployed in the capital Jakarta to maintain peace and security.