Indonesia's new Criminal Code puts investment at risk

Activists take part in a protest after the House of Representatives approved a new criminal code that will ban sex outside marriage, cohabitation between unmarried couples, insulting the president, and expressing views counter to the national ideology, outside the House buildings in Jakarta, Indonesia, on /Dec 6, 2022. - Reuters

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): The newly passed Criminal Code (KUHP) has faced a groundswell of criticism at home and abroad, with the United States and Australia warning that some clauses could frighten off investors and tourists and the United Nations condemning elements of the law as “incompatible with fundamental freedoms and human rights”.

The update to the country’s colonial-era penal code has been mired in controversy over its reintroduction of a once repealed lèse-majesté clause and inclusion of other provisions that restrict civil discourse and individual liberties.