Couple Flogged 100 Times Each in Indonesia's Aceh for Sex Outside Marriage

In Indonesia's Aceh province, a man and woman were publicly flogged 100 times each after being convicted of having sex outside of marriage under strict Islamic Sharia law. The punishment took place in Banda Aceh, where they were lashed in sets of 10 with a rattan cane, with the woman whipped by a female official as per local custom. Aceh is the only region in Indonesia that enforces Sharia law, criminalizing offenses like adultery, alcohol consumption, and gambling, and this practice has strong local support despite condemnation from human rights groups. Indonesia passed a national ban on sex outside marriage in 2022, but it will not take effect until 2026. Other individuals were also flogged for gambling and alcohol use, and earlier in the year, two men were flogged over 150 times for same-sex relations, which are also prohibited in Aceh. The region adopted Islamic law following its special autonomy status granted in 2001, intended to end a separatist conflict.