Four people were publicly caned in Aceh after authorities accused them of engaging in sex outside marriage under the province’s Islamic law system.
According to reports, the punishment was carried out on May 21 at a public park in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital.
The four individuals — two women and two men — were each sentenced to 100 lashes.
Officials stated the women were allegedly sex workers, while the men were accused of being their clients.
Dressed in white clothing, the four were caned one by one before a crowd of onlookers gathered at the scene.
Witnesses said screams and cries of pain could be heard throughout the punishment, with some of those involved visibly struggling during the caning.
Aceh Islamic religious police chief Rizal reportedly confirmed the identities and allegations against the individuals.
The public canings were conducted using rattan canes as part of Aceh’s implementation of Syariah law.
Aceh remains the only province in Indonesia that enforces parts of Islamic criminal law.
Under local regulations, unmarried couples are prohibited from engaging in sexual relations, while offences such as gambling, alcohol consumption, and same-sex relations can also result in public caning.
Authorities said another five individuals were also punished on the same day, receiving between nine and 23 lashes for separate offences including alcohol consumption and inappropriate proximity with members of the opposite sex.
Although public caning is not practised across the rest of Indonesia, the punishment continues to receive support among some groups in Aceh.
Earlier this year, religious police in the province reportedly carried out 140 lashes each against an unmarried couple accused of violating Islamic law.
Indonesia is home to the world’s largest Muslim population, though the country officially recognises six religions alongside several indigenous belief systems.
