Jakarta, Indonesia:

Indonesia has arrested two people in Java island for running a Facebook page for gays, accusing them of publishing pornography.

In 2015, the couple had set up a Facebook page "Gay Bandung Indonesia", with more than 4,000 members.

West Java police stated that the two were arrested on Thursday and that investigations by the public prosecutor’s office were underway.

Once they are formally charged under the Law on Electronic Information and Transactions (EIT), the two could face a maximum of six years in prison and a fine of up to one billion rupiah ($66,000) if convicted.

This was the first time that the EIT law was being used against the LGBT community.

It was earlier used to crack down on pornography.

Aceh, in Sumatra island, is the only province in Indonesia where homosexuality is illegal.

The arrests are being seen as yet another assault on the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community in the country.

In February, the country’s Information Ministry had blocked more than 200 mobile applications and websites with content related to homosexuality.

Java

Java is the most populous island in Indonesia and a historical and cultural heartland, home to the capital city of Jakarta. It is renowned for its ancient Hindu-Buddhist temples, most notably the 9th-century Borobudur, the world’s largest Buddhist temple, and the Prambanan compound, a collection of towering Hindu shrines.

Bandung

Bandung is the capital of West Java, Indonesia, famously known as the “Paris of Java” for its colonial-era architecture, art deco buildings, and vibrant creative and culinary scenes. Historically, it gained international prominence as the host of the 1955 Asia-Africa Conference, a seminal meeting of formerly colonized nations that led to the Non-Aligned Movement.

Sumatra

Sumatra is the sixth-largest island in the world, located in western Indonesia. It has a rich history as a key part of the Srivijaya and later the Majapahit empires, which were powerful maritime and commercial kingdoms that influenced much of Southeast Asia. The island is renowned for its incredibly biodiverse tropical rainforests, which are home to unique wildlife like orangutans, tigers, and rhinos.

Aceh

Aceh is a special region on the northern tip of Sumatra, Indonesia, historically known as a powerful and independent Islamic sultanate and an important center for the spread of Islam in Southeast Asia. It is also remembered for its devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and its subsequent recovery. Today, the region operates under a degree of Islamic law and is known for its distinct cultural identity.