Indonesian Couple Caned 140 Times Each in Aceh for Sex Outside Marriage, Alcohol Offence

In one of the harshest punishments in recent years under regional Islamic law, an Indonesian couple was publicly caned 140 times each in Aceh province on Thursday after being convicted of having sex outside marriage and consuming alcohol, authorities and local media report.

Aceh, the only province in Indonesia permitted to enforce a strict version of Sharia (Islamic law), criminalises a range of behaviours that are legal elsewhere in the country — including premarital sex, alcohol consumption, gambling and intimate relations outside marriage.

The punishment, carried out with a rattan cane by religious police, is intended as both corporal penalty and public deterrent. Under the region’s Qanun Jinayat legal code, violations such as adultery or sexual relations outside marriage carry severe penalties, including caning, fines or imprisonment — depending on the offence and circumstances.

Details from the scene were limited, but local news agencies say the couple were sentenced by an Islamic court after being found guilty of the offences. Public canings in Aceh typically draw attention because the province remains deeply conservative, and local leaders defend the use of Sharia law as part of cultural and religious identity.

Human Rights Concerns

Human rights groups have long criticised Aceh’s use of corporal punishment as cruel and degrading. International organisations such as Amnesty International have described caning under Sharia bylaws as a violation of human rights norms and have repeatedly urged Indonesian authorities to abolish such punishments.

Critics argue that criminalising private consensual behaviour — including sex outside marriage — infringes on personal freedoms and disproportionately impacts women and vulnerable groups. These concerns persist despite strong local support for the strict interpretation of Islamic law among many Acehnese residents.