Shannon Power – An Indonesian man has allegedly killed another man for adding him to a LGBTI group on WhatsApp.
Police in the east of capital, Jakarta, arrested a man for the murder of a man, Ali, 33. Jakarta Police spokesman Argo Yuwono said police arrested 21-year-old, Petrus Paulus Ualubun, in West Java on Tuesday morning.
'The suspect was mad at the victim when the latter added him to an LGBT WhatsApp group, as the suspect [claimed not to be a part of that community],' Argo told media in Jakarta. 'The suspect invited the victim to meet, then assaulted and killed him.'
Passersby discovered Ali's body with multiple stab wounds in a Jakarta alleyway. Police reported Ali had stab wounds in the left wrist, left temple, left eye, right chest, right back, right thigh.
Indonesia's hostility to LGBTI people
Homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, but a severe clamping down on the community in the past two years has seen an increase in arrests of gay men.
Police have raided gay clubs and private residences where they have arrested and charged men under the country's strict anti-pornography laws. The conservative Islamic province of Aceh, caned two young men 82 times after for homosexuality last year.
The clampdown has caused a rise in vigilante groups targeting people they believe are LGBTI. In many cases they have forced them out of their homes or into police custody.
It's not the first time instant messaging service, WhatsApp, got dragged into Indonesia's growing hostility towards the LGBTI community. In November last year, Indonesian authorities banned the use of GIFs (animated graphic image) on WhatsApp.
Authorities said they could not monitor GIFs because of WhatsApp's encryption. They argued young people might see pornography or other 'immoral' content if left unchecked.