Public canings continue in Aceh, the only Indonesian province that enforces a version of Sharia law, with individuals being publicly whipped for offenses such as sex outside marriage, gambling, and even kissing a partner during a live stream. Crowds often gather to witness these punishments, which are carried out by masked officials known as 'algojos' using rattan sticks.
Recently, a 25-year-old woman received 21 lashes for violating Islamic law by kissing her partner during a TikTok live stream. She was pictured wincing in agony as she was repeatedly whipped, before eventually losing consciousness. Four other individuals were also publicly caned on the same day for online gambling and adultery. Onlookers have been heard calling for the officials to whip harder, highlighting the public and shaming nature of the punishments.
Under Aceh's Sharia law, individuals can receive up to 100 lashes for morality offenses, including adultery and gay sex. Punishments also extend to gambling, drinking alcohol, women wearing tight clothing, and men skipping Friday prayers. Convicts often faint from the pain, and images frequently show them being carried away on stretchers, suffering from agonizing wounds.
In one notable case from January, a couple was subjected to 140 lashes each for having sex outside of marriage and drinking alcohol. The woman fainted after her punishment and required an ambulance. Such high numbers of lashes are thought to be among the most severe imposed since Sharia law was implemented in Aceh after it was granted special autonomy in 2001. The province officially adopted Islamic sharia law as its legal code in 2002, with further provisions added in 2003.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly condemned the canings, stating that they violate Indonesia's constitution and its international legal obligations. They argue that caning constitutes cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment and can amount to torture. However, local officials defend the practice as a deterrent and an integral part of the province's identity, despite criticism that it damages Indonesia's human rights reputation and inflicts lasting trauma.
The public canings are often staged outside mosques or in community squares, with crowds frequently documenting the events with their phones. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, officially recognizes six religions, but Aceh's strict interpretation of Sharia law sets it apart. Measures introduced in 2003 included bans on men and women being alone together if not married or related, and established punishments for sex crimes, displays of affection by unmarried individuals, adultery, and under-age sex.