Public Caning for Homosexuality Continues in Aceh Province
Sharia Law Strictly Enforced Since 2006
The government of Aceh Special Autonomous Province in Indonesia publicly caned two men for engaging in homosexual acts.
On the 27th (local time), according to Antara News Agency and others, Aceh Province carried out the caning of two men, aged 24 and 18, in a park in the provincial capital Banda Aceh, in front of dozens of onlookers.
A caning officer is publicly administering a caning with a rattan stick in Aceh Province, Indonesia. Photo by Yonhap News.
Five executioners dressed in gowns and covering their faces with hoods struck the backs of the two men 82 and 77 times respectively with rattan sticks. In November last year, religious police who responded to a tip-off found the two men naked in a house in Aceh and referred them to a religious court on charges of violating laws against homosexuality.
In Indonesia, which has the largest Muslim population in the world, homosexuality is not illegal, but Aceh Province, which strictly follows Islamic Sharia law, criminalizes homosexuality.
Accordingly, the religious court sentenced them on the 24th to 85 and 80 lashes respectively, and the Aceh provincial government reduced the number of lashes by three each, considering that they had been detained in custody for three months, and carried out the punishment. This is reported to be the fourth case of caning for homosexuality since Aceh adopted Islamic Sharia law as law.
Aceh, located in the western part of Sumatra Island in Indonesia, joined the Indonesian federation in 1945 on the condition of autonomy when Indonesia declared independence. However, when the promise was not kept, Aceh waged an armed struggle for independence, and in 2005, the Indonesian government and Aceh agreed that Aceh would remain part of Indonesia in exchange for guaranteed autonomy. Since then, Aceh adopted Islamic Sharia law as law in 2006, and from 2015, Sharia has been applied even to non-Muslims.
Accordingly, in Aceh, punishments by caning are imposed not only for homosexuality, premarital sex, gambling, and drinking, but also for women wearing tight-fitting clothes or men not attending Friday prayers.
Amnesty International stated, "135 people were caned last year alone for various violations," and urged, "The government must take immediate action to abolish caning in Aceh Province."
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