Woman publicly caned in Indonesia's Aceh for sex outside of marriage. An Acehnese woman faces public caning as punishment for having a sexual relationship outside of marriage in Banda Aceh, Aceh, Indonesia, Sep.
Authorities in the northwestern Indonesian province of Aceh on Thursday administered public canings against a man and a woman for having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.
The couple were each sentenced to 28 lashes, but had four of them suspended as they had already been held in jail for four months, an epa-efe journalist reports. Aceh, where public caning was introduced in , is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia that is governed by the strict Sharia law, a concession granted by the central government in as part of a peace deal to end a long-running insurgency.
It is the only province in Indonesia that has implemented Sharia law and considers lesbian, gay, bisexual relationships and sex outside of marriage as law violations.
Others have been caned for adultery, gambling, and drinking or selling alcohol. Its tradition of caning has divided public opinion in the moderate Muslim-majority country, and has reportedly led to concerns over its effect on tourism and foreign investment. As a result, the provincial government in April pledged to move the punishments indoors and away from the public eye.
