Woman Faints After Brutal 140-Stroke Public Caning in Aceh
A woman collapsed and required medical attention after she and her male partner were each subjected to 140 lashes with a rattan cane in a public park in Indonesia's Aceh province. The severe punishment was administered on Thursday for the offences of having sexual relations outside of marriage and consuming alcohol, marking one of the harshest floggings carried out under the region's strict Sharia law.
Public Spectacle of Punishment
The couple were struck repeatedly on their backs by a masked executioner, known locally as an Algojo, while dozens of spectators watched the event unfold. Photographs from the scene showed the woman kneeling as she was whipped, wiping away tears during the ordeal. Following the brutal caning, she fainted and was subsequently escorted to an ambulance on a stretcher, while her partner was pictured grimacing in visible pain.
According to Muhammad Rizal, the head of Banda Aceh's Sharia police, the total of 140 lashes was divided, with 100 strokes imposed for engaging in sex outside marriage and an additional 40 for alcohol consumption. The public nature of these punishments is deliberately designed to inflict both physical pain and social shame upon offenders.
Context of Sharia Enforcement in Aceh
Aceh remains the only province in Indonesia to implement a version of Sharia law, having been granted special autonomy in 2001. Sexual relations between unmarried couples are strictly outlawed in the region, alongside other offences such as gambling, drinking alcohol, and homosexual acts. Caning retains significant local support as a traditional deterrent for these violations.
This recent case is believed to represent one of the highest numbers of lashes imposed since Sharia was formally implemented. The couple were among six individuals flogged on Thursday for breaching the Islamic code. Notably, this group included a Sharia police officer and his female partner, who each received 23 strikes after being caught in close proximity in a private setting.
"As promised, we make no exceptions, especially not for our own members. This certainly tarnishes our name," stated Rizal, emphasising the uniform application of the law.
Pattern of Severe Punishments and Human Rights Concerns
This incident follows a pattern of severe public canings in Aceh. Last year, two men were publicly flogged 76 times each after being found guilty of sexual relations by a Sharia court. In a separate case last September, a woman was publicly whipped for adultery. Furthermore, in February of the previous year, two men, aged 18 and 24, were caned for having sex, with one collapsing and needing to be carried away after his final lash.
Canings are frequently staged in prominent locations such as outside mosques or in community squares, often drawing crowds who watch and photograph the events. Human rights organisations argue that this public humiliation compounds the cruelty, causing lasting psychological damage to those punished.
International Condemnation and Local Defence
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have repeatedly condemned the practice of caning in Aceh. They assert that it breaches Indonesia's own constitution and violates the country's obligations under international law.
Amnesty International stated in a release: "Caning contravenes Indonesia's Constitution and is in clear violation of international human rights law and standards. It constitutes a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and can amount to torture in violation of the UN Convention against Torture and other international covenants, to which Indonesia is a State Party."
Conversely, local officials have defended public flogging as an effective deterrent and a fundamental part of Aceh's cultural and religious identity. Critics, however, warn that the practice has severely damaged Indonesia's human rights reputation on the global stage and inflicts enduring trauma on those who suffer through it. Since its implementation, hundreds of people are flogged in Aceh each year under these provisions.
