Woman Publicly Flogged 140 Times in Indonesia’s Aceh for Extramarital Sex and Alcohol Use

Jakarta: A woman in Indonesia’s Aceh province has been publicly flogged 140 times for engaging in extramarital sexual relations and consuming alcohol, in one of the harshest punishments reported under the region’s Sharia-based legal system.

The punishment was carried out in public, with local residents present, against the woman and the man accused of having a sexual relationship with her. During the flogging, the woman reportedly collapsed from exhaustion and pain and was later taken to hospital by ambulance, officials said.

In the Indonesian province of Aceh, women are publicly flogged and caned if they are accused of ‘Public Displays of Affection’ or accused of having sex before marriage.

This woman received 22 lashes for ‘public displays of affection’ and collapsed afterwards. pic.twitter.com/KEiuzXL1Od

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) December 4, 2023

According to Mohammad Rizal, head of the Sharia police in Banda Aceh, the couple received 100 lashes for extramarital sexual relations and an additional 40 lashes for alcohol consumption. Aceh is the only province in Indonesia that enforces Islamic Sharia law, under a special autonomy arrangement granted in 2001. Under these laws, sexual relations between unmarried couples are strictly prohibited.

Images and videos circulating on social media show the woman kneeling as a masked enforcer repeatedly struck her with a cane. Other visuals depict her wiping away tears, being carried away on a stretcher, and her partner showing visible signs of distress during the punishment.

Authorities said the couple were among six individuals punished for violating Islamic laws. The group reportedly included a Sharia police officer and his female companion, who were arrested separately. Each of the six individuals received varying numbers of lashes, with the couple receiving 23 strokes each during one phase of the proceedings, officials added. Police said the accused had “tarnished the reputation of the community.”

Public caning in Aceh is prescribed for a range of offences, including gambling, alcohol consumption, same-sex relations, and sexual relations outside marriage. Such punishments are typically carried out in public spaces, often near mosques or town squares, under heavy police presence, with crowds watching and recording the events.

Last year, a Sharia court sentenced two men to 76 lashes each for engaging in sexual relations. In another incident in September, a woman was publicly flogged in Aceh after being convicted of adultery. Photographs from these incidents showed masked Sharia police officers, known locally as Wilayatul Hisbah, administering the punishment as the accused knelt on the ground.

Human rights organisations have repeatedly condemned public flogging in Aceh, arguing that it constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have stated that the practice violates Indonesia’s constitution as well as its obligations under international human rights law. Despite such criticism, hundreds of people continue to be subjected to caning in Aceh each year since the enforcement of Sharia law began.