A couple in Indonesia’s Aceh province has been publicly caned after being found guilty of having sex outside marriage, in a punishment carried out under the region’s Islamic legal system.
An Aceh Province official confirmed that the man and woman, whose ages were not disclosed, each received 100 lashes in a public park in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, on Tuesday. Dozens of people reportedly witnessed the punishment.
“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 prosecutors’ office.
The pair were among six individuals flogged on the same day. Four others received between eight and 29 lashes for offences including inappropriate physical contact between unmarried individuals and alcohol consumption.
One woman, who was sentenced to 27 lashes, reportedly fainted during the final strokes and was treated by paramedics at the scene.
Authorities said the punishments are enforced under Aceh’s interpretation of Islamic law, which prohibits sexual relations outside marriage as well as other offences such as gambling and same-sex relations.
Caning remains widely supported in the province and is regularly carried out in public spaces as a deterrent.
Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, though it officially recognises six religions alongside indigenous belief systems.