An unmarried couple underwent a public caning in Indonesia's Aceh province on Thursday after a Sharia court found them guilty of violating Islamic law.
The 22-year-old man and 25-year-old woman each received 21 lashes with a rattan cane.
The punishment stemmed from a February 27 TikTok livestream that showed the couple kissing inside a car in Banda Aceh.
The video went viral, prompting reports to local Sharia authorities, who arrested the pair in April.
The caning took place on a stage in Bustanussalatin City Park, Banda Aceh, before a crowd of at least 100 people.
Hooded and robed officials carried out the sentence.
Sentencing and Additional Penalties
The judges initially sentenced the couple to 25 lashes each.
However, the court reduced the punishment to 21 lashes because the pair had already served four months in prison.
Authorities also confiscated a mobile phone and a USB flash drive containing the TikTok recording. The court ordered these items to be destroyed as evidence.
On the same day, officials caned four other individuals convicted of separate offenses involving online gambling and adultery.
Human Rights Concerns
The enforcement drew criticism from human rights advocates.
Amnesty International Indonesia described the public caning as a cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment, noting that Indonesia has ratified a convention banning such treatment.
“Such behaviour 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,” said Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia.
Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia that enforces its own version of Islamic law.
The central government granted this autonomy in 2006 as part of a peace deal to end a separatist conflict.
Since 2015, the regulations have also applied to non-Muslim residents, who make up about 1% of the population.
Under local ordinances, morality-related offenses such as adultery and gay sex can result in up to 100 lashes.
Caning is also used for gambling, alcohol consumption, women wearing tight clothing, and men missing Friday prayers.
