RismadarVoice Reporters
January 29, 2026
A couple in Aceh province, Indonesia, was publicly caned 140 times each on Thursday for engaging in sexual relations outside marriage and consuming alcohol, in what is believed to be one of the severest punishments since the region adopted Islamic law.
Aceh is the only part of Indonesia that enforces a version of Sharia law, under which sexual relations between unmarried individuals are strictly prohibited.
According to report, the man and woman were struck on their backs with rattan sticks in a public park while dozens of people watched.
The woman fainted during the punishment and was escorted to an ambulance.
Muhammad Rizal, head of Banda Aceh’s Sharia police, confirmed that the couple received 100 lashes for sexual activity outside marriage and 40 lashes for alcohol consumption, totaling 140 lashes each.
Sharia law was implemented in Aceh after the province was granted special autonomy in 2001, and punishments of this severity are considered rare under the region’s legal system.
