A young couple in Indonesia's conservative Aceh province were publicly caned on Thursday after a Sharia court convicted them of violating Islamic law by kissing during a TikTok livestream. The 22-year-old man and 25-year-old woman each received 21 lashes with a rattan cane in Bustanussalatin City Park in Banda Aceh, witnessed by at least 100 people.
Details of the Caning
The couple were arrested in April after a livestream from February 27, in which they kissed in a car, went viral and prompted reports to local Sharia authorities. The court originally sentenced them to 25 lashes each, but reduced the punishment to 21 because they had already spent four months in prison. The court also seized a mobile phone and a USB flash drive containing the TikTok video as evidence to be destroyed.
Aceh's Sharia Law
Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia that enforces a version of Islamic law. The secular central government granted Aceh the right to implement religious law in 2006 as part of a peace deal to end a separatist war. In 2015, the law was expanded to apply to non-Muslims, who make up about 1% of the province's population. The law allows up to 100 lashes for morality offenses including adultery and gay sex. Caning is also permitted for gambling, drinking, wearing tight clothes (for women), and skipping Friday prayers (for men).
Human Rights Concerns
Amnesty International Indonesia condemned the public caning, calling it a cruel, inhumane, and degrading human rights violation. Executive Director Usman Hamid said, “Such behavior might be considered inappropriate because social media is viewed by people of various age groups, including children. But is it a crime that warrants imprisonment or even caning? That would be excessive.” Four other individuals were also publicly caned on Thursday for online gambling and adultery.
