Man and woman flogged over premarital s3x in Indonesia

A man and a woman were each given 100 lashes with a cane on Wednesday in Indonesia’s Aceh province after being found guilty of engaging in sex outside of marriage, a violation under the region’s strict Islamic law

The punishment was carried out in public in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, where the couple was flogged in sets of ten strokes using a rattan stick. According to AFP, the female offender was lashed by a female official, in accordance with local customs. A small crowd observed the punishment in a local park.

Aceh is the only province in Indonesia that enforces a version of sharia law, under which sex outside of marriage is a criminal offense. While Indonesia passed a nationwide ban on extramarital sex in 2022, that law is not scheduled to take effect until 2026.

In addition to the couple, three other individuals received a combined 49 lashes for offenses including 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 serves as a moral lesson for the wider community and as a path to repentance for those punished.”

Medical personnel were present during the public floggings to provide assistance if needed.

Human rights groups have consistently criticized public caning as a harsh and degrading practice. Nevertheless, the punishment remains widely supported in Aceh, where it is used for various offenses including gambling, alcohol use, and sexual misconduct.

In February, two men were flogged more than 150 times after being convicted of engaging in same-sex relations, which are also criminalized under Aceh’s religious laws.

Aceh began implementing Islamic law in 2001 after receiving special autonomy from the Indonesian central government as part of efforts to resolve a longstanding separatist conflict.