Woman whipped for adultery in Aceh under Sharia law

A woman was publicly whipped with a cane in Indonesia's Aceh province after being found guilty of adultery under strict Sharia law. She was one of nine people brought before the Banda Aceh Syar'iyah Court, where judges handed down punishments ranging from 10 to 100 lashes for various offences.

Photographs released today show the woman kneeling as a masked executioner, a member of the Sharia police known as an Algojo, strikes her repeatedly with a rattan cane. Armed officers stood guard while a crowd gathered to watch. Other images captured two men grimacing as they were flogged for their own convictions. Aceh is the only province in Indonesia that enforces Sharia law, a system granted under a special autonomy agreement following a peace deal in 2005 after decades of conflict. The province adopted the Islamic Criminal Code Bylaw in 2014 and began full enforcement in 2015. Under these rules, acts such as adultery, premarital sex, same-sex relations, gambling and drinking alcohol are criminalised and can result in public caning.

Last month, two men accused of same-sex relations were caned in public after being caught together in a toilet and reported to police. The public nature of these punishments is intended to shame as well as inflict pain. Canings are often staged outside mosques or in community squares, with crowds watching and photographing the event. Human rights groups say the humiliation adds to the cruelty and causes lasting psychological damage.

Since the Qanun Jinayat came into force, hundreds of people have been flogged in Aceh each year. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly condemned the practice, saying it breaches Indonesia's constitution and violates the country's obligations under international law. Amnesty said in a statement: 'Caning contravenes Indonesia's Constitution and is in clear violation of international human rights law and standards. It constitutes a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and can amount to torture in violation of the UN Convention against Torture and other international covenants, to which Indonesia is a State Party.' Local officials have defended the practice as a deterrent and as part of the province's identity, while critics warn it has negatively impacted Indonesia's human rights reputation and inflicted lasting trauma on those who endure it.