A man and a woman were publicly flogged 100 times each in Indonesia’s deeply conservative Aceh province on Wednesday after being convicted of engaging in sex outside of marriage, a crime under the region’s strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.
The punishment was carried out in a public park in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, where the pair were lashed with rattan sticks in sets of 10, according to eyewitnesses. The female convict was flogged by a female officer, as mandated by religious protocol. A small crowd gathered to witness the execution of the sentence.
Aceh remains the only province in Indonesia to enforce sharia law, despite the country’s broader secular legal framework. While Indonesia’s national criminal code, revised in 2022, also criminalizes extramarital sex, that law is not expected to take effect until 2025.
In the same session, three other individuals were also subjected to public caning—a combined 49 lashes—for gambling and alcohol consumption.
“Today we are carrying out flogging punishment for perpetrators of adultery, alcohol consumption, and online gambling,” said Banda Aceh Mayor Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal.
“This becomes a moral lesson for the community at large. This flogging punishment becomes a gateway to repentance for them.”
Medical personnel were present on-site for all individuals sentenced to caning, as is customary.
The use of corporal punishment in Aceh has drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations, who describe it as cruel and degrading. Nonetheless, the practice retains strong public support in the province, where caning is seen as a culturally and religiously appropriate deterrent for various offenses including adultery, drinking, gambling, and homosexual conduct.
Earlier in February, two men were flogged more than 150 times after being found guilty of engaging in same-sex relations—another act outlawed in the region.
Aceh began enforcing Islamic law in 2001 after receiving special autonomy status from Indonesia’s central government. The move was intended to address a long-standing separatist conflict but has since cemented a judicial system largely shaped by religious authority.
What you should know
Aceh is the only Indonesian province that enforces Islamic sharia law, including public floggings. Though widely condemned by rights groups, these punishments remain popular locally and symbolize the region’s legal autonomy granted in 2001 to resolve separatist unrest.
