Woman Collapses After Public Caning for Adultery, Alcohol Consumption in Indonesia’s Aceh Province
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A woman collapsed on Thursday after she and her partner were publicly caned for violating Islamic law in Indonesia’s Aceh province, the only region in the country that enforces a strict version of Sharia law.
The couple was punished in a public park in Banda Aceh, where dozens of residents gathered to watch as they were struck repeatedly on their backs with a rattan cane. Authorities said the pair had been found guilty of engaging in sexual relations outside marriage and consuming alcohol—both offences outlawed under Aceh’s Islamic legal code.
According to officials, each of the two received a total of 140 lashes: 100 strokes for having sex outside wedlock and an additional 40 for drinking alcohol. The woman reportedly fainted during the punishment and was later escorted to an ambulance, with images showing her being wheeled away on a stretcher.
Confirming the incident, the head of Banda Aceh’s Sharia police, Muhammad Rizal, said the punishment was carried out in accordance with local laws. “They were punished for adultery and drinking alcohol, which are clearly prohibited under Islamic law in Aceh,” he stated.
The caning was part of a broader enforcement exercise in which six people were flogged for breaching the Islamic code. Among those punished was a Sharia police officer and his female partner, who were found together in a private place. That pair received 23 lashes each.
Rizal said the authorities were determined to apply the law without bias, even when it involved their own personnel. “As promised, we make no exceptions, especially not for our own members. This certainly tarnishes our name,” he said.
Aceh was granted special autonomy in 2001, allowing it to implement Sharia law as part of efforts to end a long-running separatist conflict. However, public canings for offences such as adultery, alcohol consumption and gambling have continued to draw criticism from local and international human rights groups.
