Two men in Indonesia’s Aceh province were publicly caned on Thursday after being convicted of engaging in same-sex relations under Islamic Shariah law.
According to an ABC report, the punishment took place in a public hall in Banda Aceh, where dozens of people gathered to witness the caning. The two men, aged 24 and 18, received 82 and 77 lashes respectively—slightly reduced from their original sentences due to time served in detention.
Authorities arrested the men in November after residents, suspecting them of being gay, forcibly entered their rented room and found them naked and embracing. They were later taken into custody by the province’s religious police.
Aceh, the only region in Indonesia that enforces Shariah law, has carried out similar punishments for same-sex relations since adopting the legal system in 2006. The law permits up to 100 lashes for morality-related offenses, including premarital sex and same-sex relations.
Human rights groups have condemned the practice, arguing it violates Indonesia’s international commitments to protect minority rights. However, Aceh’s special autonomy allows it to enforce Shariah law separately from the national legal system.
