LGBTQ Indonesians suffer rising persecution and stigmatization

JAKARTA -- The arrest of dozens of gay men in West and East Java this month highlights a concerning rise in violence against and persecution of LGBTQ Indonesians, with the number of cases in the country doubling in the past few years, an advocacy group says.

Police in early July arrested 75 men during a gay party in a hotel in the West Java town of Bogor. They were later released, but the case remains under investigation. Around the same time, four people were arrested in separate locations in East Java province for allegedly running Facebook gay groups. They remain in detention, according to a lawyer representing one of the men.