Two couples have been beaten with sticks after allegedly having sex outside marriage, breaking strict gender relations laws in Indonesia’s most conservative region.
Aceh province is the only area where Sharia law is applied in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, and the only region where floggings take place.
Horrific photos show the brutal punishments of up to 20 lashes imposed by members of the Sharia police known as the Wilayatul Hisbah.
The women are seen kneeling with their heads bowed and the men standing up while being caned.
In the aftermath, more disturbing footage shows a man’s injuries after being whipped as officials inspected his back, which was left bleeding and scarred.
Acehnese couples receive a religious lecture before being caned in front of the public for violating Sharia law, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia
A member of Sharia police canes a woman after she was allegedly caught near a man, in violation of the region’s strict laws
A man from Aceh stands firmly on a blue mat while being caned
One of the women who was caned kneels in front of her wearing shoes as she anticipates her punishment
Medical officials inspect a man’s back after he was whipped
People are seen taking photos of the beating, which reportedly took place in public
The victims were also given medical checks before the blows were delivered, with medics pictured checking the men’s blood pressure.
Aceh’s government introduced stricter laws last year aimed at “reducing sin” by keeping the opposite sexes apart.
Men and women who are not related or married are prohibited from being in public places or vehicles
Lawmakers said the strengthened legislation is intended “to build a generation of people who faithfully live Islamic values in their daily lives,” he said.
“Men and women who are not married or related should not sit together in public places, secluded places or in vehicles,” the official notice said.
As part of the crackdown on socializing, authorities have also ordered 24-hour coffee shops in the province to close at midnight, limiting the region’s most popular source of entertainment.
The mayor of Banda Aceh, the region’s capital, warned that he would deploy sharia police to ensure compliance with the new rules.
An Aceh man receives a medical check-up before being punished with a cane for violating Sharia law
A man (in white) is caned by a member of the Sharia police as punishment for being caught with a woman in Banda Aceh
A Sharia police officer hands out a rattan used for punishment in Indonesia’s Aceh province
An Aceh woman is caned in front of the public for violating Sharia law
Injuries to a man’s back are checked by a doctor after he was given up to 20 lashes for violating Sharia law
Offenses punishable by caning include intimacy or sexual activity for unmarried couples, sex outside marriage, same-sex sexual relations, the sale and consumption of alcohol and gambling.
Floggings in Aceh have long been a public spectacle held outdoors, with police and members of the public often filming the punishments to further enhance the humiliation they intend to inflict on those receiving them.
For years, human rights activists have called for an end to the inhuman and “degrading form of punishment” of caning, and have called on the Indonesian government to take action.
An officer watches over two couples awaiting caning by Sharia police as punishment for forbidden relations with the opposite sex
Floggings have been a public spectacle outdoors for many years, but many of them are now performed indoors
Two of the alleged religious lawbreakers are handcuffed together as they are escorted to their sentences by the prosecutor
Medics check on a woman after she is caned as punishment for breaking strict gender relations laws
Research by Amnesty International Indonesia found that Aceh authorities carried out at least 60 public floggings against 254 people in 2020.
In 2019, reports emerged that a woman and a man lost consciousness when they were beaten during separate public punishments on the same day.
In 2021, two men accused of same-sex ‘crimes’ were caned 77 times each in front of a crowd of 100 people.
Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, said at the time: ‘No one deserves to be cruel and humiliated in this way… Flogging is cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and can amount to torture.
“We strongly urge the Aceh authorities and the central government to take immediate action to stop this cruel practice and repeal the statutes that enable it.”