A court in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province has sentenced two men to be flogged in public after finding them guilty of engaging in homosexual activities. Although gay sex is not illegal throughout Indonesia, the region of Aceh operates under strict Sharia law prohibiting such conduct.
In November, local authorities raided a rented room in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, where the two university students were found together. They were subsequently taken to the Sharia police and charged with “liwath” (gay sex).
“The panel of judges at the Banda Aceh Sharia Court handed out punishment for the couple who committed liwath,” public prosecutor Alfian, known simply by one name, told AFP. “AI (the first man) was sentenced to 85 strokes, while DA (the second man) was sentenced to 80 lashes.” Alfian explained that the harsher sentence for the first suspect was due to his role in renting the room and initiating the act.
Public flogging is a common punishment in Aceh for a variety of offenses, including gambling, alcohol consumption, and adultery. The prosecutor noted that the floggings could be carried out either before or after the holy Islamic month of Ramadan, which begins next month.
While international human rights groups criticize public caning as cruel and inhumane, the practice remains widely supported among many in Aceh. In a previous case in 2021, a couple was flogged for engaging in gay sex, and earlier this year, four men were caned for participating in online gambling—the first public lashing recorded in the year.
Aceh began enforcing Sharia law in 2001 when it was granted special autonomy by the central government, an effort aimed at quelling a longstanding separatist insurgency.
AFP
