A young couple in Indonesia faced public caning on Thursday after being convicted of kissing during a TikTok livestream. The 22-year-old man and 25-year-old woman received 21 lashes each under local morality laws enforced by an Islamic Sharia court in Aceh province. Initially detained in March, they served four months in prison, which reduced their original sentence from 25 lashes to 21. The couple’s actions were reported by local residents who deemed the livestream immoral, prompting the Sharia police to take action. Following the punishment, authorities confiscated and pledged to destroy their cellphone and USB drive containing the video.
Why It Matters
Aceh is unique in Indonesia for implementing its own Islamic Criminal Code, which governs moral conduct and allows for severe penalties, including caning for offenses like premarital intimacy and same-sex relations. This legal framework was established in 2005 as part of a peace agreement aimed at resolving a separatist conflict, and it has since expanded to include non-Muslims. Public caning has drawn significant criticism from human rights organizations, which argue it is a form of cruel and degrading punishment, despite local authorities defending the practice as a necessary moral deterrent.
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