Public Flogging in Aceh, Indonesia's Conservative Islamic Region
Sharia Law Enforced... Punishments for Gambling and Alcohol Consumption
In Aceh Special Autonomous Province, a conservative Islamic region in Indonesia, a man and a woman were publicly flogged 100 times each with a cane for engaging in extramarital sex.
On the 4th (local time), a man is receiving public flogging in Aceh Province, Indonesia. Photo by EPA Yonhap News
According to Yonhap News, citing AFP, on the 4th (local time), a court in Aceh Province, western Sumatra, Indonesia, carried out the flogging sentence for a man and a woman who had been convicted of extramarital sex.
The flogging was administered in a park in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, in front of other residents. On this day, both defendants received a total of 100 lashes each, delivered in sets of 10 at a time.
The flogging officers, dressed in brown garments covering their entire bodies and with their faces concealed by hoods, struck the defendants' backs with wooden canes. Since 2019, Aceh has required that female defendants be flogged by female officers. During the flogging, medical staff were on standby at the scene in case of emergencies.
Aceh, located in western Sumatra, is the only region in Indonesia where Islamic Sharia law is enforced by law. Since 2015, Sharia has also been applied to non-Muslims in Aceh. As a result, in Aceh, public flogging is imposed not only for extramarital sex, homosexuality, gambling, and alcohol consumption, but also if a woman wears tight-fitting clothing or if a man fails to attend Friday prayers.
On the same day, three other defendants who had been convicted of gambling and alcohol consumption were also flogged. It is reported that each of them received 49 lashes.
Iliza Saaduddin Djamal, the mayor of Banda Aceh, stated, "We carried out flogging for those who committed (extramarital) sex, alcohol consumption, and online gambling," adding, "This serves as a moral lesson for the entire community and an opportunity for the defendants to repent."
Earlier, in February of this year, the Aceh government also carried out public flogging of two men for engaging in homosexual acts. At that time, the two men received 20 lashes each, after which the punishment was briefly paused to treat their injuries. It was reported that one of the men was unable to move after the punishment ended and had to be carried away.
Human rights groups have condemned such punishments as "cruel" and have called for an end to public flogging. However, it is reported that residents of Aceh actively support the practice.
Aceh joined the Indonesian federation in 1945, when Indonesia declared independence, on the condition that it would be granted autonomy. When these promises were not kept, a long independence movement ensued. In 2001, Aceh was recognized as a special autonomous province by the central government, guaranteeing its autonomy in exchange for remaining part of Indonesia.
Meanwhile, in December 2022, the Indonesian parliament passed an amendment to the criminal code that criminalizes extramarital sex and cohabitation before marriage, which is scheduled to take effect nationwide starting next year.
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