A couple in Indonesia’s Aceh province was publicly caned 140 times each on Thursday after being convicted of having sex outside marriage and consuming alcohol, marking one of the harshest punishments recorded under the region’s strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Aceh, located on the northern tip of Sumatra, is Indonesia’s only province permitted to enforce Sharia law, following special autonomy granted in 2001. Under these regulations, sexual relations between unmarried couples and alcohol consumption are strictly prohibited.
The punishment took place in a public park in Banda Aceh, where dozens of residents gathered to witness the caning. AFP journalists at the scene reported that the man and woman were struck repeatedly with rattan sticks on their backs.
During the punishment, the woman reportedly collapsed and fainted after receiving several lashes and had to be taken away in an ambulance for medical attention.
According to Muhammad Rizal, head of Banda Aceh’s Sharia police, the couple received 100 lashes for engaging in sex outside marriage and an additional 40 lashes for consuming alcohol.
“It is our duty to enforce the law equally. No one is exempt, not even our own officers,” Rizal told reporters.
He added that the punishment is believed to be one of the highest numbers of lashes imposed since Aceh began implementing Sharia regulations more than two decades ago.
The couple was among six individuals publicly flogged on the same day for violating Islamic codes. Among those punished were a Sharia police officer and his female partner, who were found alone together in a private setting. That pair received 23 lashes each.
Public caning remains widely supported by local authorities in Aceh and is used as punishment for offences including gambling, alcohol consumption, same-sex relations, and sex outside marriage.
Last year, two men were publicly flogged 76 times each after being convicted by a Sharia court for engaging in sexual relations.
Despite strong international criticism over the severity and public nature of the punishment, Aceh’s authorities maintain that public caning serves as a deterrent against moral and religious violations in the deeply conservative province.
Published by Ejoh Caleb
