Two Men Publicly Caned in Aceh, Indonesia for Hugging and Kissing Under Shariah Law

Young men charged with hugging and kissing publicly caned by Indonesian Islamic court

Two men, aged 20 and 21, were publicly caned in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on Tuesday after an Islamic Shariah court found them guilty of violating Islamic law by hugging and kissing, acts the court ruled could lead to prohibited sexual relations. The punishment was carried out in front of an audience of approximately 100 people at Bustanussalatin city park.

The men were each sentenced to 80 lashes, delivered with rattan canes by robed and hooded enforcers. Aceh province allows up to 100 lashes for morality offenses, including adultery, homosexual acts, sex outside marriage, gambling, alcohol consumption, and violations of religious obligations such as men failing to attend Friday prayers. Other forms of moral policing include restrictions on women’s clothing.

Men charged with hugging and kissing are among group publicly caned by Indonesian Islamic court

According to court records, the men were apprehended in April at Taman Sari city park after being reported by residents for entering the same park bathroom, where they were found kissing and hugging. The pair had initially met through an online dating app.

Eight additional individuals were publicly caned on Tuesday for adultery and gambling. Aceh is the only province in Indonesia to enforce Shariah law, a system established after a 2006 political compromise to end a separatist uprising, which included creating a religious police and court system. Since the implementation, there have been four previous canings for cases related to homosexuality.

Two gay men grimace in pain as they are brutally whipped in public Sharia caning over their same-sex relations

While Indonesia’s national criminal code does not criminalize homosexuality, Aceh’s regional laws remain in force, and the central government cannot overturn them. However, the government has previously pressured Aceh officials to remove provisions allowing stoning for adultery. In 2015, Aceh expanded its Shariah regulations to apply to non-Muslims, who constitute about 1% of the population.

Human rights organizations have repeatedly condemned the practice. In 2016, a coalition petitioned Indonesia’s Supreme Court to review Aceh’s regulations permitting caning, but the request was denied. Maidina Rahmawati, acting executive director of the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, criticized the punishment as contrary to Indonesian law and human rights, noting its public nature is harmful for the country’s image.

Eight other people were publicly caned on Tuesday for adultery and gambling

Amnesty International also condemned the caning as “a disturbing act of state-sanctioned discrimination and cruelty,” highlighting the systemic stigma and abuse faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in Aceh. Montse Ferrer, Amnesty’s Regional Research Director, stated that intimate relationships between consenting adults should never be criminalized.

Some local residents, such as Aulia Saputra, defended the punishment, suggesting it could deter future violations of Shariah law and serve as a lesson for offenders.