In a severe enforcement of Sharia law, a couple in Indonesia's Aceh province was publicly flogged 140 times each on Thursday, January 29, 2026. The punishment was administered for the offenses of engaging in sex outside of marriage and consuming alcohol.
A Public Spectacle in Banda Aceh
The caning took place in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital. Images from the scene show the woman, dressed in white and a headscarf, covering her face in distress while receiving the lashes from a Sharia police officer.
Aceh is the only region in Muslim-majority Indonesia that imposes Islamic Sharia law. Under these strict statutes, moral crimes such as gambling, adultery, alcohol consumption, and gay sex are punishable by public caning.
The Charges
Local officials stated that the severity of the punishment 140 lashes was due to the combination of offenses. The couple was found guilty of both Zina (sex outside of marriage) and drinking alcohol, crimes that carry heavy penalties under the region's penal code.
This latest incident continues to draw international attention to Aceh's judicial practices, which human rights groups often condemn as cruel and degrading. However, local authorities maintain that the punishment serves as a necessary deterrent to uphold moral standards in the province.
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