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A couple living in Indonesia were publicly caned 140 times each by sharia police in Aceh on Thursday for violating Islamic law.
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia that applies sharia law. Under the rules, sex outside marriage and drinking alcohol are illegal.
The punishment took place in a public park in Banda Aceh. The couple was struck on the back with a rattan cane while members of the public watched, an AFP reporter said.
Meanwhile, the woman fainted during the punishment and was taken away in an ambulance.
The head of Banda Aceh’s sharia police, Muhammad Rizal, said the couple received 100 lashes for having sex outside marriage and 40 lashes for drinking alcohol, bringing the total to 140 lashes each.
Rizal said the punishment was among the most severe carried out since sharia law was introduced in Aceh after the province was given special autonomy in 2001.
The couple was not the only one punished that day. Four other people were also caned for violating the Islamic code, including a sharia police officer and his female partner, who were found together in a private place. They received 23 lashes each.
“As promised, we make no exceptions, especially not for our own members,” Rizal said.
Public caning is used in Aceh to punish offences such as gambling, alcohol use and sex outside marriage. Last year, two men were publicly caned 76 times each after being convicted by a sharia court.
