Dozens of Men Arrested and Paraded by Police for Alleged Same-Sex Party in Indonesia
Authorities in Indonesia have arrested and publicly paraded dozens of men accused of participating in what they described as a “g@y s£x party” in the city of Surabaya, East Java. The raid, carried out by the local police’s morality division, reportedly targeted a private residence where the men had gathered over the weekend.
Police spokesperson AKBP Arief Fakhrudin confirmed that officers stormed the property after receiving a “tip-off” from residents who complained about “immoral activities” taking place in the neighborhood.
“We found several men engaged in indecent acts. They have all been taken into custody for questioning,” Fakhrudin said in a press briefing.
Images released by local media showed the men — some partially clothed — being paraded before cameras at a police station, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups.
Activists condemned the arrests as another example of state-sponsored humiliation and discrimination against Indonesia’s LGBTQ+ community, which faces widespread social stigma and legal persecution.
Human Rights Watch and other advocacy groups have urged the Indonesian government to end the public shaming of citizens over private consensual behavior, stressing that such actions violate international human rights conventions.
Although Indonesia does not have a national law explicitly banning same-sex relationships, several regions, including Aceh and parts of Java, enforce strict morality and anti-pornography laws that are often used to target LGBTQ+ individuals.
Local reports indicate that those detained may face charges under Indonesia’s anti-pornography law, which carries penalties of up to 15 years in prison for acts deemed “immoral” or “contrary to public decency.”
The incident has reignited debate over the country’s ongoing moral policing and the growing intolerance toward sexual minorities in Southeast Asia’s largest Muslim-majority nation.
International observers have called on President Joko Widodo’s administration to ensure due process and to protect the privacy and dignity of all citizens, regardless of sexual orientation.
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