A court in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province has sentenced two men to public flogging after finding them guilty of engaging in same-sex relations, an official confirmed on Monday.
While homosexuality is not illegal in most parts of Indonesia—the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation—it is banned in Aceh, the only province that enforces Sharia law.
The incident occurred in November when locals in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, raided a rented room and found the two men—both university students—together. They were then handed over to the Sharia police for allegedly engaging in sexual activity.
“The panel of judges at the Banda Aceh Sharia Court handed out punishment for the couple who committed liwath (gay sex),” said Alfian, a public prosecutor at Banda Aceh District Court who, like many Indonesians, uses a single name.
“AI (the first man) was sentenced to 85 strokes, while DA (the second man) was sentenced to 80 lashes.”
According to Alfian, the first man received a heavier sentence because he had rented the room and was deemed to have “initiated the act.”
Public flogging is a common punishment in Aceh for a variety of offenses, including gambling, alcohol consumption, and adultery.
The prosecutor noted that the flogging could take place either before or after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which begins next month.
While human rights groups have repeatedly denounced public caning as a cruel and degrading practice, it continues to have strong support among the local population in Aceh.
Similar cases have occurred before. In 2021, another couple was publicly flogged for engaging in same-sex relations. More recently, in January, four men in Aceh were caned for online gambling—the first such punishment of the year.
Aceh began enforcing Sharia law in 2001 after being granted special autonomy by the central government as part of efforts to resolve a long-running separatist conflict.
