Couple caned 140 times each in Aceh for sex and alcohol; woman faints

Sharia police in Indonesia’s Aceh province caned a couple 140 times each for having sex outside marriage and drinking alcohol, and the woman fainted after the punishment, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. The pair were struck on their backs with a rattan stick in a public park while dozens of people watched, the reporter said, and the woman was escorted to an ambulance after fainting.

Muhammad Rizal, head of Banda Aceh’s Sharia police, told AFP the couple received 100 lashes for sex outside marriage and 40 for consuming alcohol. Sexual relations between an unmarried couple are strictly outlawed in Aceh, which is the only place in Indonesia to impose sharia law.

The punishment is thought to be one of the highest numbers of cane lashes imposed since sharia was implemented after Aceh was granted special autonomy in 2001. The couple were among six people flogged for breaking the Islamic code, including a sharia police officer and his female partner who were caught in a private place; that couple received 23 strikes each.

"As promised, we make no exceptions, especially not for our own members. This certainly tarnishes our name," Rizal said. Caning in Aceh is used to punish a range of offences, including gambling, drinking alcohol, gay sex and sexual relations outside marriage. The report notes a 2025 case in which two men were publicly flogged 76 times each after being found guilty of sexual relations by the sharia court.

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