A woman had to be lifted from the ground after being struck with a cane for showing affection in public under Aceh’s strict Sharia regulations in Indonesia.
The unidentified woman was one of six people publicly flogged in Aceh on Thursday. The province is the only part of Muslim-majority Indonesia where Islamic law is formally enforced.
Four of those punished were convicted of displaying affection in public, while the other two were found guilty of gambling. They received between nine and 22 lashes.
Photographs from the punishment showed the woman, dressed in white, kneeling and grimacing as a hooded alogojo, or flogger, struck her. She was later supported as she struggled to stand.
In separate scenes, a man was shown flinching as a wooden cane came down on him.
Aceh’s interpretation of Sharia law prohibits unrelated men and women from mixing in ways deemed inappropriate.
Public caning is used for a range of alleged offences, including gambling, alcohol consumption, homosexual acts and sex outside marriage.
In August, a woman became the first person in Aceh to receive a public caning for what authorities described as committing obscenity live with a man on social media.
A woman had to be helped to her feet after she was beaten with a cane for a public display of affection in Indonesia’s Banda Aceh province on Thursday
The woman was among four people punished for public displays of affection
She was pictured shutting her eyes as she was struck
The sentence followed allegations that she and her partner kissed during a TikTok livestream.
Public flogging is intended not only to cause physical pain but also to shame people found to have breached Sharia regulations.
Canings are commonly held outside mosques or in public squares, where spectators watch and record the punishment on their phones.
Human rights organisations argue that the public humiliation compounds the cruelty of the punishment and can leave victims with long-term psychological harm.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly criticised the practice, arguing that it conflicts with Indonesia’s constitutional protections and international legal commitments.
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Amnesty said in a statement: ‘Caning contravenes Indonesia’s constitution and is in clear violation of international human rights law and standards.
‘It constitutes a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and can amount to torture in violation of the UN Convention against Torture and other international covenants, to which Indonesia is a State Party.’
Provincial officials defend caning as a deterrent and an important part of Aceh’s identity. Critics, however, say the practice damages Indonesia’s human rights standing and leaves those subjected to it with lasting trauma.
A young man convicted of violating Sharia law by engaging in public displays of affection received 20 lashes at Bustanul Salatin Park in Banda Aceh
A man convicted of gambling received nine lashes
A man convicted of violating Sharia law by engaging in public displays of affection received 22 lashes at Bustanul Salatin Park in Banda Aceh
A woman kneels as she receives lashes after being sentenced for violating Sharia law
The latest punishment comes only months after a couple endured one of the most severe canings carried out by authorities in the province.
The pair were each sentenced to 100 lashes in September after being convicted of adultery. The woman collapsed during the punishment amid the intense pain.
Images showed her grimacing and raising a hand in an apparent plea for mercy as the cane struck her back.
Later photographs showed officials helping her up after she fell to her knees.
Her partner was also pictured wincing as he was whipped.
Local news outlet AJNN reported that the man’s punishment was temporarily stopped after 60 lashes because of concerns about his health.
Darma Mustika, head of the General Crimes Section at the Banda Aceh District Attorney’s Office, said: ‘Perhaps his health was a little compromised, or he simply couldn’t handle the whipping. So we stopped him first to give him a chance to rest.’
The punishment later resumed, bringing the man’s total to 100 lashes.