BANDA ACEH — On May 12, authorities in Aceh Province flogged 15 convicts in a public punishment carried out under the region’s Islamic criminal law, Qanun Jinayat. The group included one woman sentenced to 100 strokes for adultery and 14 men who each received between six and 10 strokes for gambling.

The collective punishment totaled over 200 cane strokes and was administered by the Southeast Aceh Prosecutor’s Office. Aceh is the only province in Indonesia authorized to implement Sharia-based criminal penalties, a right granted under its 2005 semi-autonomous status following a peace agreement that ended decades of civil conflict.

Qanun Jinayat allows caning for offenses such as adultery, gambling, alcohol consumption, and proximity between unmarried individuals—crimes that under Indonesia’s national Criminal Code carry only fines or imprisonment. Public floggings in Aceh are intended to deter crime and shame offenders into compliance with local religious norms.

Mohammad Purnomo Satriyadi, head of Southeast Aceh’s Prosecutor’s Office, said, 'May the punishment make the convicts realize their wrongdoings. For the public in general, this is a reminder to stay away from crimes forbidden by the Aceh Qanun.'

Teuku Kamaruzzaman, a spokesperson for the Aceh provincial administration, stated, 'The punishment [of caning] is applied to everyone who violates the law in Aceh. For non-Muslims, they can choose to go to prison or be flogged.' He added, 'Caning is quite effective. Flogging makes the Aceh people more orderly,' and claimed most residents support the practice.

Montse Ferrer, Regional Research Director at Amnesty International, criticized the use of corporal punishment, calling it 'a horrifying reminder of the institutionalized stigma and abuse faced by LGBTQ+ individuals in Aceh. Consensual same-sex activity between adults should never be criminalized. Punishments such as flogging are cruel, inhuman and degrading and may amount to torture under international law.'

The number of cane strokes an offender receives depends on the nature of the crime and any time already served in prison, with sentences reduced accordingly. Earlier this year, a couple received a record 140 strokes for premarital sex and alcohol consumption, marking the highest total ever imposed under Qanun Jinayat.