Indonesian couple caned 140 times for sex and alcohol offences

A couple in Indonesia was caned 140 times for having sex outside marriage and drinking alcohol, which violated sharia, or Islamic religious law.

The 21-year-old woman collapsed after authorities said a record number of hits were made during a public caning session in Aceh province.

Three female police officers took turns attacking him with a rattan cane while he was crying. The woman, who fainted, was taken off the stage by the female staff and taken to the ambulance.

The couple were caned on Thursday along with four others, including an officer from the Islamic police force, who were found guilty of violating sharia.

While caning is a widely used punishment for breaking Islamic law in religiously conservative Aceh, the practice has long faced criticism from human rights groups that say it is cruel.

Under Aceh’s Islamic penal code, sexual intercourse outside marriage is punishable by 100 lashes, while alcohol consumption is punishable by 40 lashes.

Azharul Husna, Aceh coordinator for Indonesian human rights group Kontras, says canings are not properly regulated and adds that rules on such punishments need to be “improved” to support people after they are caned.

The officer from the Islamic police force was caned 23 times for being too close to a private place, as was his female partner.

Muhammad Rizal, head of Aceh’s Islamic police force, told BBC Indonesia that the police officer was caught alone with him at his home and that the police officer would be dismissed.

Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia to enforce sharia law and punishes many crimes with public canings.

Additional reporting by Astudestra Ajengrastri