BANDA ACEH, Indonesia – A man and woman were each publicly flogged 100 times on Wednesday in Aceh, Indonesia’s only province enforcing Islamic law, after being convicted of engaging in sex outside of marriage.
The punishment was carried out in a public park in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, with a crowd of onlookers present. The flogging was conducted using a rattan cane in sets of ten lashes, with a female officer administering the punishment to the woman, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.
Aceh enforces a strict interpretation of sharia law, under which extramarital sex is considered a criminal offense. While Indonesia’s national criminal code also criminalized sex outside marriage in a 2022 revision, that law is not set to take effect until 2026.
In the same session, three other individuals received a combined total of 49 lashes for alleged violations related to gambling and alcohol consumption.
“Today we are implementing flogging punishments for acts of adultery, alcohol consumption, and online gambling,” Banda Aceh Mayor Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal said. “This serves as a moral warning to the broader community and a path toward repentance for the offenders.”
Medical personnel were on standby during the punishment.
While human rights groups have consistently criticized flogging in Aceh as inhumane and excessive, the practice continues to enjoy broad support among the local population. Public caning is commonly used for a variety of offenses, including adultery, alcohol use, and gambling.
Aceh was granted special autonomy in 2001, allowing it to implement Islamic law as part of a peace agreement aimed at ending a separatist conflict. In February, two men were publicly flogged more than 150 times after being convicted of engaging in same-sex relations, which are also banned under local law.
