Indonesian Couple Caned 140 Times for Sex and Alcohol Offences
A couple in Indonesia has been caned 140 times for having sex outside marriage and consuming alcohol, in violation of Sharia, or Islamic religious law.
The 21-year-old woman fainted after what authorities described as a record number of strokes during a public caning session in Aceh province. Three female officers took turns striking her with a rattan cane as she cried, and after collapsing, she was carried off the stage by female officers to an ambulance.
The couple were punished on Thursday alongside four others, including an officer from the Islamic police force, all found guilty of violating Sharia.
Caning is a common punishment for breaking Islamic law in Aceh, a religiously conservative province, though human rights groups have long criticized the practice as cruel.
Under Aceh’s Islamic criminal code, sex outside marriage is punishable by 100 strokes of the cane, while consuming alcohol carries 40 strokes.
“Canings are not properly regulated,” said Azharul Husna, Aceh coordinator for the Indonesian rights group Kontras, adding that rules around such punishments should be “improved” to provide support for those subjected to them.
The officer from the Islamic police force and his female partner were each caned 23 times for being alone together in a private home, Muhammad Rizal, head of Aceh’s Islamic police, told BBC Indonesian. The officer is set to be dismissed.
Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia that enforces Sharia and often administers public canings for offences ranging from adultery to alcohol consumption. (Agencies)
