A young couple in Indonesia have been publicly caned after an Islamic Sharia court convicted them of violating religious law by kissing during a TikTok livestream.
The Sharia court in Aceh ordered the pair to receive 21 lashes each with a rattan cane for the act of kissing while unmarried. The punishment was carried out on a stage in Bustanussalatin City Park in Banda Aceh, witnessed by at least a hundred people and administered by individuals wearing robes and hoods.
The 22-year-old man and 25-year-old woman were arrested in April, following a 27 February livestream where they were seen kissing in a car in Banda Aceh. The video subsequently went viral, prompting reports to local Sharia authorities.
Aceh stands as the sole province in Muslim-majority Indonesia that enforces a version of Islamic law. The province was granted the right to implement religious law by Indonesia’s secular central government in 2006, as part of a peace agreement to conclude a separatist conflict.
In 2015, the law was expanded to include non-Muslims, who constitute approximately one per cent of Aceh’s population. The legislation permits up to 100 lashes for various morality offences, including adultery and gay sex. Caning is also a prescribed punishment for gambling, drinking, women wearing tight clothing, and men who miss Friday prayers.
The couple caned Thursday were sentenced to 25 lashes each, but it was reduced to 21 strokes because they had already spent four months in prison.
The court also seized a cellphone and a USB flash drive containing the TikTok live video as evidence to be destroyed.
Four other people were publicly caned on Thursday for online gambling and adultery.
Amnesty International Indonesia said public caning in Aceh as a form of human rights violation because it is cruel, inhumane and degrading to human dignity, even though Indonesia has ratified a convention mandating the abolition of inhumane punishments.
“Such behavior might be considered inappropriate because social media is viewed by people of various age groups, including children. But is it a crime that warrants imprisonment or even caning? That would be excessive,” said Usman Hamid, the Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia on Thursday.
Aini Nadhirah, 22, a Banda Aceh resident who attended the caning, said the public concern over the punishment could provide a lesson for others.
“In my opinion, this caning is entirely justified because it serves as a warning to other Aceh residents to be more careful when using social media. It also raises awareness that such actions are unacceptable, thereby educating the public,” Nadhirah said.
