A woman collapsed after being caned dozens of times during a public punishment carried out under Islamic law in Indonesia’s Aceh province, authorities said.
Sharia police in Aceh punished a man and a woman with a combined total of 140 lashes each after finding them guilty of having sexual relations outside marriage and consuming alcohol. The punishment is believed to be among the harshest imposed since the province formally adopted Islamic law more than two decades ago.
The public caning took place in a park, where the couple was struck on the back with a rattan cane while onlookers watched. During the punishment, the woman fainted and was later taken away by ambulance, according to officials.
Authorities said the couple received 100 lashes for engaging in sex outside marriage and an additional 40 lashes for drinking alcohol. Sexual relations between unmarried adults are strictly prohibited under Aceh’s interpretation of Islamic law.
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia — the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country — permitted to enforce sharia law. The region was granted special autonomy in 2001 following decades of separatist conflict.
Officials said the punishment ranks among the highest number of lashes imposed since sharia law was implemented in the province.
The couple was among six individuals publicly flogged for violating Islamic regulations that day. Those punished included a member of the sharia police and his female partner, who were accused of being alone together in a private setting. That pair received 23 lashes each.
Local authorities emphasized that enforcement applies equally to all individuals, including law enforcement personnel.
Caning remains a legal form of punishment in Aceh for offenses such as gambling, alcohol consumption, sexual relations outside marriage and same-sex relations.
Earlier this year, two men were publicly caned dozens of times after being convicted by a sharia court of engaging in sexual relations.