Two men in the conservative Aceh province of Indonesia were each publicly stranded 77 times after neighbors reported them to Islamic religious police for having sex
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia – Two men in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province were publicly beached 77 times on Thursday after neighbors reported them to Islamic religious police for sex.
Dozens of people witnessed the caning in Tamansari City Park in Banda Aceh. It is the third time that Aceh, the only province in Indonesia to apply Sharia law, has beaten people for homosexuality since Islamic law was implemented in 2015 as a government concession to end a long-running separatist uprising.
The men, aged 27 and 29, were slapped over the back and winced in pain when a team of five enforcers in robes and hoods took turns relieving each other after every 40 blows.
The men were arrested in November after residents became suspicious and broke into their rented room where they were caught having sex, said Heru Triwijanarko, Aceh’s acting Shariah police chief.
A Sharia court last month sentenced each man to 80 strokes, but they were beaten 77 times after being remitted for time spent in prison.
Four other people received 17 strokes for extramarital affairs and 40 strokes for drinking alcohol.
A Sharia code allows up to 100 lashes for moral crimes, including gay sex. Caning is also a punishment for adultery, gambling, drinking and for women who wear tight clothes and men who skip Friday prayers.
With the exception of Aceh, homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, but the country’s low-profile LGBT community has been under siege in recent years.