Indonesia: couple split up by police

Indonesia: couple split up by police

A lesbian couple in the autonomous Indonesian province of Banda Aceh have stumped local authorities due to a lack of laws covering relationships between women.

Nuraini, 21, and ‘husband’ Rinto, 25, both workers at a local state-owned palm plantation company, faked their identities and fooled an Islamic cleric into marrying them and then lived together for three months before neighbours reported them to security forces.

The couple were held for three days despite there being nothing to charge them with and were only released after signing an agreement not to see each other again — which if violated could lead to sanctions against the women.

Confusion stemmed from a 2009 Islamic law, passed by the Aceh Provincial Government, outlawing lesbianism but which the provincial governor refused to sign.

“We are really confused,” Southwest Aceh Public Order Agency chief Muddasir said, “Because there are no bylaws to handle such cases.”

However, Muddasir said they will still be charged, “maybe with identity fraud, because what they did was embarrassing and forbidden by religion”.

“I told them if Islamic law is applied in Aceh, they must be beheaded, burned and their ashes must be spread in the ocean.”

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