A couple was flogged 100 times each for adultery under an Indonesian province’s strict Sharia laws.
The caning in Banda Aceh on Thursday was so severe that the woman was seen begging for mercy before collapsing from the pain.
The couple was convicted of adultery and were sentenced to 100 lashes each by the Banda Aceh Sharia Court last month.
Unmarried couples are not allowed to have sex under the harsh laws in the region of Aceh, which is the only place in Muslim-majority Indonesia to administer Sharia law.
Caning is used to punish a wide range of offences, including gambling, drinking alcohol, homosexual acts, and having sexual relations outside marriage.
Images from the public caning today showed the woman grimacing in pain and holding her hand up as she pleaded for mercy while she received lashes on her back.
However, later pictures showed the woman being helped off the ground after she collapsed to her knees.
Images of her partner also showed him wincing as he was struck.
A woman grimaces in pain while serving a public caning sentence in Taman Sari, Banda Aceh, Aceh Province, Indonesia, on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026, for adultery
Officers assist the convicted woman after she received 100 lashings
Pictured: A man found guilty of adultery under Sharia law grimaces in pain as he is whipped 100 times
According to local news outlet AJNN, the man’s caning was halted temporarily after he received 60 lashes over concerns for his health.
Head of the General Crimes Section of the Banda Aceh District Attorney’s Office, Darma Mustika, said: ‘Perhaps his health was a little compromised, or he simply couldn’t handle the whipping. So we stopped him first to give him a chance to rest.’
The caning then resumed until the man received 100 lashes in total.
The couple was among a group of 10 people who received lashings on Thursday.
The remaining eight convicts – men and women – were sentenced to between 16 and 21 lashes after being found guilty of intermingling at a birthday party.
Under Sharia law, the mixing of men and women who are unrelated is strictly forbidden.
The public nature of canings in Aceh is intended to shame as well as inflict pain on people found to have violated Sharia law.
Canings are often staged outside mosques or in community squares, with crowds watching and documenting the event on their mobile phones.
The woman puts her hands to her face after she received 100 lashes
Pictured: A man reacts in pain as he is whipped 100 times. The caning was halted temporarily over concerns about his health
Pictured: A separate man who was accused of intermingling with women at a birthday party was also lashed on Thursday
The public nature of canings in Aceh is intended to shame as well as inflict pain on people found to have violated Sharia law
A man grimaces in pain while serving a public caning sentence in Taman Sari, Banda Aceh, Aceh
Canings are often staged outside mosques or in community squares
Local officials have defended the practice as a deterrent and as part of the province’s identity
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly condemned the practice
A man found in violation of Sharia law received water from an official during his public caning in Banda Aceh, Aceh Province, Indonesia, on Thursday
Human rights groups say the humiliation adds to the cruelty and causes lasting psychological damage.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly condemned the practice, saying it violates Indonesia’s constitution and its obligations under international law.
Amnesty said in a statement: ‘Caning contravenes Indonesia’s constitution and is in clear violation of international human rights law and standards.
‘It constitutes a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and can amount to torture in violation of the UN Convention against Torture and other international covenants, to which Indonesia is a State Party.’
Local officials have defended the practice as a deterrent and as part of the province’s identity, while critics warn it has negatively impacted Indonesia’s human rights reputation and inflicted lasting trauma on those who endure it.
Just weeks ago, a woman became the first person to be publicly caned in Aceh for ‘committing obscenity live with a man on social media.’
The punishment was handed down after she and her partner were accused of kissing during a TikTok livestream.
Images showed the woman kneeling and screaming in agony as a masked Sharia police officer repeatedly brought the cane down across her back.
The woman eventually lost consciousness and had to receive medical attention.
Her partner was also caned over the TikTok livestream.
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