by Rex Wockner
International News Briefs
The House of Representatives in Indonesia's Aceh province has enacted a new Islamic criminal code that punishes homosexuality with up to 100 lashes, Amnesty International reported Sept. 17.
The code also bans gambling, drinking alcohol, premarital sex, adultery and fornication – punishing adultery with stoning.
"The new criminal bylaw flies in the face of international human rights law as well as provisions of the Indonesian constitution," said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty's Asia-Pacific director. "Stoning to death is particularly cruel and constitutes torture, which is absolutely forbidden under all circumstances in international law."
