Indonesia: Couple Sentenced to 140 Public Whippings for Illegal Relationship

Shocking scenes reminiscent of another era unfolded in Indonesia, where a couple engaged in an extramarital relationship received one of the harshest punishments under Sharia law. In Aceh—the only Indonesian province officially implementing Islamic Sharia law—the pair was sentenced to a total of 140 public whippings in a local park: 100 lashes for adultery and 40 for alcohol consumption, both strictly prohibited acts. During the punishment, the woman collapsed from pain and was rushed away by ambulance. Photographs show her kneeling and visibly weeping as a masked enforcer administers the lashes, while her partner remained stoic and silent. The couple was among six individuals punished that day—including a Sharia police officer and his partner caught in a private setting. Another couple received 23 lashes each. “There are no exceptions—not even for our own officers. Such acts damage our service’s credibility,” stated Muhammad Rizal, head of the Sharia Police in Banda Aceh.