Indonesia’s Anti-Pornography Law Raises Fears for Minorities, Liberals
The recent arrest of six people in Indonesia over a nightclub show is raising concerns among minority groups and secularists about a new anti-pornography law: in late 2008, Indonesia’s parliament passed a broad law aimed at stamping out what many politicians saw as an epidemic of pornography, but pushed by Islamic conservatives, the law outlawed anything – from books to paintings to some bodily movements – considered capable of raising feelings of lust. The women arrested at the Belair Cafe and Music Lounge are likely to be the first people tried under the law and could face up to 10 years in prison. Their agent and a club manager could be jailed for 15 years.