Couples punished with 20 lashes of the cane for having sex outside marriage in Indonesia
Couples are punished with 20 lashes of the cane for having sex outside marriage in Indonesian region governed under Sharia law
- Four couples were punished in Aceh on Monday after they were caught having sex outside of marriage
- A small crowd gathered to watch the canings, taking pictures of the hooded figure administering the blows
- The ultra-conservative region of Aceh is the only province in Indonesia that imposes Sharia law
Four couples have been caned with up to 20 lashes for having sex outside of marriage in Indonesia.
The men and women were publicly flogged in the ultra-conservative Aceh province governed by Sharia law on Monday.
Crowds gathered to watch the brutal punishment being handed out despite the coronavirus pandemic, with many taking pictures and videos on their phones.
A Sharia defendant sits on the floor as she faces a public caning punishment in Banda Aceh for having sex outside of marriage
Four couples received the brutal punishment, receiving between 10 and 20 lashes each, in the ultra-conservative Aceh province
A barefoot Acehnese woman is escorted by Sharia police to her punishment which was held inside because of the Covid-19 pandemic
A women kneeling on the floor closes her eyes as the caning is administered by a hooded enforcer carrying out the public flogging
A defendant holds her head in her hands as she approaches the caning where seven other people were flogged on Monday
Crowds gathered to watch the brutal punishment being handed out despite the coronavirus pandemic, with many taking pictures and videos on their phones
The couples, wearing face masks, were checked by medical officers before the caning and escorted in handcuffs to the rug where they knelt to receive the lashings.
A hooded cane-wielding enforcer, whose face could not be seen, delivered the punishment to the offenders.
Aceh is the only province in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country that imposes Islamic law. About 98 per cent of Aceh’s five million residents are Muslims.
The public canings usually attract large crowds of eager spectators but today’s punishments were handed out indoors with only a small circle of observers.
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia that has implemented Sharia law and considers lesbian, gay, bisexual relationships and sex outside of marriage as crimes that warrant a caning
The couples, wearing face masks, were checked by medical officers before the caning and escorted in handcuffs to the rug
Aceh is the only province in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country that imposes Islamic law. About 98 per cent of Aceh’s five million residents are Muslims
An Aceh prosecutor displays the rattan cane which is used to punish Sharia law violations despite much objection to the practice
A handcuffed man is escorted by police towards the flogging which was watched on by a small crowd of eager observers
One man was punished for being caught having sexual relations with his girlfriend, which is considered a crime in Sharia law
Officials said earlier this year that the floggings had been moved indoors and shorn of the usual opening speeches because of the virus pandemic.
Aceh adopted Sharia after it was granted special autonomy in 2001, an attempt by the central government to quell a long-running separatist insurgency.
Human rights groups have slammed public caning as cruel, and Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has called for it to end.
But it has strong support among Aceh’s population.
Officials said earlier this year that the floggings had been moved indoors and shorn of the usual opening speeches because of the virus pandemic
Aceh adopted Sharia after it was granted special autonomy in 2001, an attempt by the central government to quell a long-running separatist insurgency
Human rights groups have slammed public caning as cruel, and Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has called for it to end
A man is escorted by police ahead of the public caning sentence in the ultra-conservative region on the northern tip of Sumatra island
A man who was punished with his girlfriend after they were caught having sex outside of marriage is put in place for the caning by police
