Water cannon turned on transsexuals for 'Islamic purification’

Agents arrest transsexuals at Labuhan Jungkung beach during an operation to "maintain security and public order". Before their release, they were subjected to ghusl, a "mandatory bath" to eliminate their "impurities" and prepare them for reintroduction into society.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Municipal police (Satuan Polisi Pamong Praja or Satpol PP) used a water cannon on a fire truck in Labuhan Jungkung Beach, Pesirir Barat District (Lampung Province), to “cleanse” three transsexuals in accordance with an Islamic ritual.

Last Friday the agents stormed the beach to arrest three transgender persons during an operation to "maintain security and public order". Municipal police chief Syaikul Anwar said that he "authorised the operation to stop all types of offenders, including those absent from school or anyone who could destabilise the social order."

Before their release, the three people were subjected to ghusl, a "mandatory bath" to “cleanse” them of their "impurities" ahead of their reintroduction into society. The operation took place in public and was photographed by the agents themselves who posted the pictures on the internet.

Human rights groups reacted with outrage at the treatment. A recent study by LBH Masyarakat reports that 973 LGBT people were victims of physical and verbal abuse last year in the world’s most populous Islamic country.

A survey by Jakarta-based Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting found that 81.5 per cent of Indonesians view homosexual practices banned by religion as "morally wrong".

According to Human Rights Watch, Indonesian security forces "arbitrarily arrested" more than 300 LGBT people in 2017.

• indonesia
• lgbt
• transexuals
• water cannons
• cleansing
• ghusl