A coalition of advocates and supporters of sexual and gender minorities protested the arrest and alleged inappropriate treatment of 141 men at a gym in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, on Sunday night.
coalition of advocates and supporters of sexual and gender minorities protested the arrest and alleged inappropriate treatment of 141 men at a gym in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, on Sunday night.
Photographs of the arrested men, who were naked, were leaked and went viral on Monday.
“The victims were stripped naked and transported in public transportation […] They were also naked while facing [police] interrogation,” said the statement signed by 15 organizations ,including the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights groups Arus Pelangi.
The men are alleged to have been attending a sex party. All those arrested are still detained, including 10 men who have been named suspects.
"The arrests set a bad precedent for cases involving other gender and sexual minorities," the statement continued.
The coalition has deemed the arrests "arbitrary".
North Jakarta Police spokesman Comr. Sungkono said the leak of the photographs was the result of a "procedural mistake" by the police officers in charge of the arrests. (dea)
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