JURIST - Paper Chase: Indonesia parliament passes broad anti-pornography law

[JURIST] The Indonesian parliament [official website] on Thursday passed a controversial anti-pornography law [press release, in Bahasa] criminalizing all "obscene" works and "bodily movements" that could violate public morality. Proponents of the law include President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono [official website; BBC profile] and his administration, who claim that the law will protect Islam and cultural art while eradicating pornography. Critics of the measure counter that the law is too broad and could hinder cultural art such as temple statues, and some were quoted Thursday as saying they would pursue legal challenges to it. The law was revised several times before being passed by parliament. AFP has more. Xinhua has additional coverage.

Approximately ninety percent of the population in Indonesia [JURIST news archive] is Muslim, though the country also has large Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist groups. The law is designed to protect younger generations from pornographic and lewd materials. It does not, however, prohibit tourists from wearing bikinis in Bali, a primarily tourist island.

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