ACEH: A young Indonesian couple here were publicly caned a total of 140 times recently after being found guilty of having sex outside marriage and consuming alcohol under Islamic law, the
BBC reported.
The 21-year-old woman fainted after authorities said she received a record number of strokes during the public caning session.
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The punishment was carried out by three female officers using a rattan cane, and she was taken from the stage to an ambulance after collapsing.
The couple were caned alongside four others, including an officer from the Islamic police force, all of whom were convicted of violating Sharia.
Under Aceh’s Islamic criminal code, sex outside marriage is punishable by 100 strokes of the cane, while consuming alcohol carries a sentence of 40 strokes.
The Islamic police officer was caned 23 times along with his female partner for being in close proximity in a private place, and he will be dismissed from service, according to Aceh Islamic police chief Muhammad Rizal.
Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia that enforces Sharia, with public caning a common punishment, although the practice has long drawn criticism from rights groups, including Kontras Aceh coordinator Azharul Husna, who said regulations governing caning should be improved to support those punished.
