A man and woman were publicly flogged on Tuesday in Banda Aceh, the capital of Indonesia’s Aceh province, for engaging in sexual relations outside of marriage, AFP reports. The punishment took place in a public park before dozens of onlookers, with each receiving 100 cane lashes.
“We implement Islamic law in Aceh, so whenever someone violates it, we have to carry out punishments like the caning we just conducted,” said Rajesh Kana, an official from the local prosecutor’s office. Aceh is the only region in Indonesia to enforce a version of Sharia law, under which sexual relations between unmarried people are prohibited.
The pair were among six individuals flogged on Tuesday. Four others received between eight and 29 lashes for offences such as physical contact with a member of the opposite sex or drinking alcohol. One woman, sentenced to 27 lashes, fainted at the last stroke and required paramedic assistance.
Caning is a common form of punishment in Aceh for a range of offences, including gambling, alcohol consumption, and gay sex. In January, a couple in Aceh was caned 140 times each — one of the harshest punishments since the province implemented Sharia law in 2015.
Although Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, it officially recognises six religions alongside indigenous beliefs. Aceh remains the only province where Sharia law is applied in such a strict and public manner.