Indonesian Couple Publicly Caned 140 Times Under Aceh’s Sharia Law

Banda Aceh, Indonesia — A man and a woman in Indonesia’s Aceh province were publicly flogged after being found guilty of having sex outside marriage and consuming alcohol, offences prohibited under the region’s Islamic legal code.

The couple each received 140 lashes, one of the harshest punishments imposed since Aceh began enforcing sharia law in 2001, according to local authorities.

Aceh, located at the northern tip of Sumatra, is the only province in Indonesia allowed to implement Islamic law under special autonomy granted by the central government. Under these regulations, intimate relations between unmarried couples and alcohol consumption are criminal acts.

The punishment was carried out in a public park in Banda Aceh before dozens of onlookers. The pair were struck on their backs with a rattan cane. The woman reportedly collapsed during the flogging and was taken away by ambulance, AFP reported.

Sharia police chief Muhammad Rizal said the sentence consisted of 100 lashes for extramarital sex and 40 lashes for drinking alcohol.