Four people were subjected to 100 lashes each in front of dozens of spectators in Banda Aceh, capital of Aceh province, Indonesia. Two women and two men had been convicted of having sexual relations outside of marriage, a practice prohibited by Islamic legislation applied in the region.
Adultery ends in 100 lashes in front of a crowd in Indonesia
Four people were subjected to 100 lashes each in front of dozens of spectators in Banda Aceh, capital of Aceh province, Indonesia. Two women and two men had been convicted of having sexual relations outside of marriage, a practice...
Dressed in white, the condemned received blows with a rattan rod while agents responsible for carrying out the sentence took turns carrying out the sentence. [Caption]© Getty According to Muhammad Rizal, head of Aceh's Islamic police, the two women worked as sex workers and the two men were clients.
- "Women are sex workers, and men are their clients," he told AFP.
- Five other people also received lashes The public session was not limited to the four convicts.
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The punishment took place on May 21, in a public park in the city. Dressed in white, the condemned received blows with a rattan rod while agents responsible for carrying out the sentence took turns carrying out the sentence.
[Caption]© Getty
According to Muhammad Rizal, head of Aceh's Islamic police, the two women worked as sex workers and the two men were clients.
"Women are sex workers, and men are their clients," he told AFP.
Five other people also received lashes
The public session was not limited to the four convicts. Another five people were also punished on the same day for different violations of Sharia rules.
The sentences ranged from nine to 23 lashes. Among the infractions were remaining in a situation considered to be inappropriately close to a person of the opposite sex and consuming alcoholic beverages.
Records from the Indonesian agency Antara show that nine convicts were subjected to punishment that day for crimes covered by the local Islamic code, including sexual relations outside marriage, intimacy between unmarried people and online gambling.
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia to apply sharia
Aceh has special autonomy and is the only province in Indonesia where a version of Islamic law is officially applied. In the region, whipping punishments are used for different infractions, including sex outside marriage, alcohol consumption, gambling and same-sex sexual relations.
Although this type of punishment is not part of the penal system adopted nationally in Indonesia, the practice continues to be used in Aceh.
Months earlier, in January, an unmarried couple received 140 lashes each after being convicted of having sexual relations and consuming alcohol. The episode was identified as one of the most severe punishments recorded in the province since stricter Sharia rules began to be applied in 2015.
Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, but officially recognizes different religions and traditional beliefs. Aceh, however, maintains its own rules due to the special autonomy regime granted to the province.
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