21 Blows with a Stick for a Kiss: A Couple in Love Was Brutally Punished in Indonesia
In the conservative province of Aceh in Indonesia, a young couple was sentenced to public punishment after they kissed during a live broadcast on TikTok. Under a local court ruling, the man and woman each received 21 strokes with a cane, and more than a hundred people watched as the sentence was carried out.
The 22-year-old man and 25-year-old woman were arrested in April after their kiss during a live broadcast on February 27 went viral. Following this, complaints began to pour in to Sharia authorities.
The court found them guilty of kissing outside of marriage and sentenced them to 25 lashes each. However, the punishment was reduced to 21 strokes, taking into account the four months the couple had already spent in custody. At least 100 people witnessed the execution of the sentence.
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia where Sharia law is in effect. The central government granted it this right in 2006 as part of a peace agreement to end a separatist war. The law prescribes up to 100 lashes for violations of moral norms—including adultery, same-sex relationships, gambling, and alcohol consumption. Since 2015, it has also applied to non-Muslims, who make up about 1% of the province’s population.
Amnesty International’s Indonesian chapter has condemned the punishment as “cruel, inhuman, and degrading.”
“Such behavior may be considered inappropriate, as social media is viewed by people of all ages, including children. But is this a crime deserving of imprisonment or even caning? That would be excessive,” said the organization’s executive director, Usman Hamid.
The Guardian reports on this.
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