Overview
- The man and woman were flogged in a Banda Aceh park on Jan. 29 as a masked enforcer struck them with a rattan cane before the woman collapsed and was taken to an ambulance.
- Officials said the total included 100 lashes for sex outside marriage and 40 for drinking alcohol, with an AFP reporter documenting the scene.
- The pair were among six people punished that day, including a syariah police officer and his female partner, who received 23 strikes each.
- Banda Aceh syariah police chief Muhammad Rizal said no exceptions would be made for his members, calling the officer’s case a stain on the force.
- Local authorities described the sentences as among the harshest since Aceh began enforcing syariah under special autonomy in 2001, and public canings continue for offenses such as gambling and same-sex relations.