INDONESIA: 83 Lashes Administered To 2 Men For Gay Sex In Banda Aceh

The crowd roared as two men in their early 20s, one muttering through clenched teeth received 83 lashes each outside a mosque in the Indonesian province of Aceh for the crime of gay sex.

One of the men, who was just 20, was given a glass of water after the 40th lash. A doctor approached him after the 60th and asked him if he was still strong. He nodded.

Two men receive 83 lashes for gay sex in the first conviction for homosexuality in Indonesia's conservative Aceh province.

Three hooded men took turns to flog the pair.

The audience, estimated by police to be 2500 people, gathered before the red-carpeted platform in front of Syuhada mosque in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, baying in frustration when the caning paused.

This was the first time sharia courts had imposed public flogging for sodomy under new laws introduced in 2014 as part of Aceh's Islamic criminal code, known as Qanun Jinayat.

The law criminalises liwath, or sodomy, with a maximum punishment of 100 lashes, 100 months in jail or a fine of 1000 grams of gold.

Four heterosexual couples also received up to 30 lashes of the cane for khalwat (being in close proximity, such as secluded in a room, when not married), which is effectively kissing and hugging.

One of the women couldn't continue after nine lashes and had a break before returning to the platform, where a white triangle marked where the convicted must stand and face the crowd while being caned.

"You are strong in bed, but you pretend to be in pain when caned," someone yelled.

A medical team, including an ambulance, were on standby. Under regulations, those being punished must be caned from the waist up.

Men and women were separated to observe the caning, with an announcer warning the crowd that children should not be present.

But the mothers can then tell them at home as education on the enforcing of sharia law, he said.

Aceh is the only one of Muslim-majority Indonesia's 34 provinces that criminalises homosexuality and uses sharia as its legal code in addition to the national criminal code.

Endin Saprudin, a sharia police officer at the Aceh provincial administration, said the men would be free once they had been caned.

The worldly punishment is completed after the execution of the sentence, Mr Endin said.

However I don't know about the punishment of the afterlife, whether or not they will be caned again. At least we have saved some Muslims by showing them such actions are clearly prohibited.

On March 28, vigilantes broke into an apartment in Banda Aceh, Aceh's capital, and took the two men to the police after catching them in bed together.

LGBT rights advocacy group Arus Pelangi said a video of the two men had gone viral, which put them at risk and should never have been circulated.

Can you imagine the caning being carried out in front of so many people? said chairwoman Yuli Rustinawati.

Obviously it is painful to be caned but then many people are watching. It creates another pain psychologically, not only for the offenders but also for their families.

The men represented themselves in court and accepted their punishment.

Mr Endin, the sharia police officer, said they had been entitled to a lawyer but questioned why they would need one when they were caught red-handed.

The pictures obviously show they committed a homosexual act, he said.

Prosecutors requested 80 lashes but the judges imposed a harsher sentence of 85, of which 83 were delivered.

Human Rights Watch had called on Indonesian President Joko Widodo to intervene and stop the public flogging.

The court's less-than-maximum sentence of 85 lashes is no act of compassion. It does not change the reality that flogging is a grotesque display of medieval torture,said Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phelim Kine.

Muhammad Iswanto, another sharia police officer, said data showed that no one punished under sharia law in Aceh had repeated their crime.

In the whole Aceh province, for all offences such as khamar (alcohol), zinah (adultery), until now we do not have a recidivist," he said.

Moammar, a 20-year-old chemistry student, came to watch the caning with nine of his friends from campus. I am curious because this is the first caning on a liwath case,Moammar said.

I want this case to be the first and last case of homosexuality.

The central government in Jakarta granted Aceh's religious leaders the right to impose sharia-inspired law in 2001 as part of a deal struck to quell a decades-long separatist movement in the province.

But Ayi, a Banda Aceh resident who lives in the same neighbourhood as one of the gay men, said caning was another form of violence.

We had 30 years of conflict. But now we have this, she told Fairfax Media.

GAMBIA: Good Bye Yahya Jammeh, Good News For Gambia Tourism

Yahya Jammeh, president of The Gambia, has surprised his critics by accepting defeat after 22 years in power.

Known for walking around with his trademark prayer beads and a stick, he was reputed to be one of the world's most eccentric and ruthless leaders.

Born in May 1965, he came to power in 1994 as a 29-year-old army lieutenant in a country portrayed in tourist brochures as an idyllic holiday destination.

He became a portly president who portrays himself as a devout Muslim with miraculous powers, such as the power to cure people of Aids and infertility. He also believes that homosexuality threatens human existence.

Mr Jammeh divorced his first wife Tuti Faal and subsequently married two other women, though his official website refers only to Zineb Yahya Jammeh, who holds the title of First Lady.

According to The Gambia's privately owned Point newspaper, he married his second wife, Alima Sallah, in 2010, but Mr Jammeh's office issued an instruction that she should not be referred to as First Lady - in contrast to South Africa where all four wives of President Jacob Zuma hold the title.

"She is not to be addressed as the First Lady because, according to protocol, there can only be one First Lady and, in this case, that is Madam Zineb Yahya Jammeh," the newspaper quoted the presidency as saying.

Mr Jammeh won four multi-party elections before he was finally defeated.

After his 2011 victory, in a sign that his credibility among African leaders had plummeted, the regional body, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), refused to endorse his victory, saying voters and the opposition had been "cowed by repression and intimidation".

His decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth in 2013, which had been pushing for reforms in the tiny West African state, was a further sign of Mr Jammeh's growing isolation.

Mr Jammeh said he did not fear a fate similar to Libya's killed leader Muammar Gaddafi or Egypt's ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

My fate is in the hands of almighty Allah.

"I will deliver to the Gambian people and if I have to rule this country for one billion years, I will, if Allah says so."

Mr Jammeh said he was not bothered by the criticism of human rights groups.

"I will not bow down before anybody, except the almighty Allah and if they don't like that they can go to hell," he said.

Mr Jammeh is known for expressing bizarre views. In 2007, he claimed that he could cure Aids with a herbal concoction - a view condemned by health experts.

Later, he also claimed that he could cure infertility among women.

Mr Jammeh is also known for his virulent opposition to gay rights, having once threatened to behead gay people.

In a 2014 address to the UN General Assembly, Mr Jammeh lamented that Western governments were pushing for homosexuality to be legalised.

"Homosexuality in all its forms and manifestations which, though very evil, anti-human as well as anti-Allah, is being promoted as a human right by some powers," he said.

The Gambian government's treatment of journalists and opposition parties has also caused huge concern among human rights groups.

Mr Jammeh's government has been under intense pressure to solve the murder of the editor of The Point newspaper, Deyda Hydara.

Gunned down in 2004, he has become a symbol of the campaign for press freedom in The Gambia.

The international media group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said there was "absolute intolerance of any form of criticism" in The Gambia, with death threats, surveillance and arbitrary night-time arrests of journalists "who do not sing the government's praises".

Mr Jammeh denied his security agents had killed Mr Hydara.

"Other people have also died in this country. So why is Deyda Hydara so special?" he said.

About Yahya Jammeh

- Born in May 1965
- Seized power in a coup in 1994
- In 2013, he vowed to stay in power for "a billion years" if God wills
- He also ordered the execution of criminals and political opponents on death row
- Claimed in 2007 he could cure Aids and infertility with herbal concoctions
- Warned in 2008 that gay people would be beheaded
- Denied his security agents killed journalist Deyda Hydara in 2004

In August 2013, Mr Jammeh used a speech to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid to announce that all prisoners on death row would be executed, effectively ending a moratorium that had been in place for 27 years.

"There is no way my government will allow 99% of the population to be held to ransom by criminals," Mr Jammeh said at the time.

Nine people were executed, including Alieu Bah, a former lieutenant in the army who was arrested and jailed in 1997 for plotting to oust Mr Jammeh.

He agreed to halt further executions, following unprecedented pressure from the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU).

His defeat came as a huge surprise, given that he ran one of the most feared intelligence agencies in Africa, with its tentacles spread across the country - so much so that until the election, people in cities and villages feared speaking ill of the man who is officially referred to as his "His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Doctor Yahya AJJ Jammeh Babili Mansa".

In 2015, he added the title "Babili Mansa" - a Mandinka-language honorific which can be translated as "chief bridge builder" or "conqueror of rivers".

TANZANIA: Dar Es Salaam Tanzania’s Largest City

The transition from afternoon into evening echoes around the city. From every mosque, the call to prayer rides the humid, salty breeze that gusts in off the Indian Ocean. The atmosphere, exotic and entrancing, can be enjoyed to the full from the 11th-floor Al Dar Restaurant & Bar at the Holiday Inn. Order a cold Kilimanjaro beer and let the sights, sounds and scents wash over you.

With a population of more than 4 million, Dar es Salaam is Tanzania’s largest city, though not its capital. That honor goes to the uninspiring inland city of Dodoma. But culturally and economically, “Dar” (as most people call it) is where the action is. At night, you can immerse yourself in it.

Always have a flashlight with you in case of power outages (they’re quite common, though most hotels have their own generators), and leave all valuables in the hotel safe deposit box. Don’t use unlicensed taxis, and be wary when walking close to the road. Driving can be erratic, and there’s also the possibility of ride-by bag-snatchers on motorbikes. Avoid the beaches after dark and, in some cases, during the day.

With reasonable precautions, you don’t need to be paranoid. Dar at night is an exhilarating place, and you wouldn’t want to miss it. If you have a local contact to guide you, all the better. Local favorites such as the Corner Bar in the Masaki district and Club Bilicanas downtown can be very lively, especially when there’s live music. Be warned, however, that the former venue in particular reputedly is a hang-out for ladies of the night.

Seek a tamer but nonetheless memorable experience at Level 8 Club in the Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam on Friday and Saturday nights, with live music from a local band. The hotel’s restaurants provide choices for dinner, with cuisine ranging from Asian to Swahili.

LGBT travelers should be aware that, in common with many other African countries, Tanzania is becoming increasingly conservative in its attitude toward sexuality. Homosexuality is illegal and carries a prison sentence. Even speaking out against the legislation could be perceived as promoting homosexuality, also an offense.

Cultural conservatism and the risk of crime aside, Dar es Salaam offers plenty to enjoy. Its name translates as “Haven of Peace.” In the midst of a dance floor on a Friday or Saturday night, it’s anything but.