Jakarta, Indonesia – Indonesia on Sunday called for an independent investigation into claims made by LGBT activists that gay propaganda has been used to discredit Indonesia’s conservative government.
The issue has become a rallying cry in recent months for the LGBT community amid a surge in anti-gay sentiment.LGBT groups say that the use of the term “gay propaganda” to discredit the government in a statement issued on Sunday calls into question its legitimacy and the integrity of the ruling party.
A total of eight gay rights activists have been arrested, and four have been killed in the last two years, according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW).
In a statement to news agencies, LGBT activist group PinkNews said the government’s campaign to discredit LGBT people was a violation of the human rights of LGBT people.
PinkNews condemned the killing of eight activists last month in Jakarta and said the killing could have been prevented if the authorities had been more vigilant and if the Indonesian police had not made such threats.
The activists were arrested in January and charged with committing a crime against humanity.
The charges against them were later dropped, but they are still facing a separate case in a military court.
Pink News said it is critical that LGBT people in Indonesia are free to express their beliefs and that the government respects the right to freedom of expression.
Pink news called on the international community to press Indonesia to conduct an independent, independent investigation, and called for a ban on the use and dissemination of the word “gay”.