In brief
A couple in Indonesia has been subjected to 140 lashes in a public caning for breaching Sharia law, which includes premarital sex and alcohol consumption. The punishment, administered in Aceh, has raised significant concerns among human rights organizations regarding its cruelty and the treatment of individuals following such corporal punishments. Additionally, the incident highlights the strict enforcement of Islamic laws in Indonesia's only province practicing Sharia.
A couple in Indonesia has been caned 140 times for having sex outside marriage and drinking alcohol because it violates Sharia, or Islamic religious law.
The 21-year-old woman fainted after what authorities said was a record number of strokes to be meted out in a public caning session in the Aceh province.
Three female officers took turns striking her with a rattan cane, while she cried. After she collapsed, she was carried off the stage by female officers to an ambulance.
The couple were caned on Thursday along with four others, including an officer from the Islamic police force, who were all found guilty of violating Sharia.
Caning is a common punishment for breaking Islamic law in religiously conservative Aceh, although the practice has long drawn criticism from rights groups who say it's cruel.
Under Aceh's Islamic criminal code, sex outside marriage is punishable by 100 strokes of the cane, while consuming alcohol carries 40 strokes.
Canings are not regulated properly, says Azharul Husna, the Aceh coordinator for Indonesian rights group Kontras, adding that the rules around such punishments should be improved to support people after they're caned.
The officer from the Islamic police force was caned 23 times, as was his female partner, for being in close proximity in a private place.
He was caught alone with her in her house, Muhammad Rizal, the head of Aceh's Islamic police force told BBC Indonesian, adding that the officer would be dismissed.
Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia to enforce the Sharia, and punishes many of the offences with public canings.
