An unmarried couple in Indonesia's Aceh province was publicly caned with 21 lashes each on July 2 in Banda Aceh after being convicted of violating the region's strict Islamic morality laws. The punishment stemmed from an incident in March when the couple allegedly kissed while filming a TikTok livestream from inside a car.
Details of the Incident and Punishment
The couple, a 22-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, had already spent around four months in detention following their arrest in March. Their original sentence of 25 lashes was reportedly reduced to 21 because of the time they had already served in custody. The caning was carried out in front of a crowd of approximately 100 people.
According to local authorities, the couple filmed a TikTok video inside a car one night in March. The video went viral and drew complaints from members of the public. Sharia police said in April, as reported by Fox News: "Their actions were uncovered thanks to reports from residents who were disturbed by their immoral livestream content." Head of the Sharia Police Muhammad Rizal stated: "The trigger was their livestream on TikTok while engaging in immoral acts in the car. This sparked criticism from netizens and local residents, who then reported them to the authorities." Officials also seized a mobile phone and a USB drive containing the TikTok video, which they said they will destroy.
Public Reaction and Footage
A Banda Aceh resident who attended the caning, Aini Nadhirah, reportedly said she believed the punishment was "entirely justified." Footage of the public punishment has circulated online, showing the couple visibly in pain as they received each stroke of the cane. The woman was seen breaking down in tears and wailing in pain during the punishment, according to the South China Morning Post.
Legal Context in Aceh
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia permitted to enforce Islamic Sharia law under a special autonomous arrangement with the central government. The legal framework, known locally as the Qanun Jinayat, governs a range of moral offences, including gambling, alcohol consumption, adultery, premarital intimacy and same-sex relationships. Depending on the offence, punishments can include up to 100 lashes. On the same day as the couple's caning, four other people were also punished for online gambling and adultery.
Human Rights Criticism
Amnesty International’s co-regional director Montse Ferrer condemned the caning, stating: "Today’s public caning of a young man and woman simply for kissing is a horrifying act of discrimination, and a grim reminder of the enduring human rights violations permitted under the Islamic Criminal Code in Indonesia’s Aceh province. The punishment shows how authorities are expanding their use of Sharia law to target peaceful expression online, as well as offline. Sharia police in Aceh appear to be intensifying digital monitoring efforts as they seek to punish acts deemed to violate Sharia law, including public displays of intimacy outside marriage. Caning is an inherently cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment that frequently crosses the threshold into torture. Indonesia’s authorities must end the criminalisation of consensual intimacy and repeal all discriminatory bylaws that permit corporal punishment. Indonesia, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council and a state party to the Convention Against Torture, must align its laws – including in Aceh – with its constitutional commitments to equality and non-discrimination. Corporal punishment has no place in a just and humane society."
