Abroad
Indonesian woman in Aceh faints after being caned 140 times for sex outside marriage & drinking alcohol
The punishment were meted out under sharia law.
January 30, 2026, 04:13 PM
A woman in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, fainted after being caned 140 times in public by the sharia police for having sex outside of marriage and drinking alcohol.
The man was also handed 140 lashes.
Aceh is the only region in Indonesia which practices sharia law.
According to CBS News, an AFP reporter was at the scene and witnessed the corporal punishment.
The couple were struck on their backs with a rattan stick in a public park, with dozens in attendance.
After enduring the lashes, the woman fainted and was escorted to the ambulance.
The head of Banda Aceh's sharia police told AFP that the couple were given 100 lashes for sex outside marriage and 40 for consuming alcohol, CBS News wrote.
This is believed to be the highest number of lashes imposed since sharia law was implemented in Indonesia's Aceh province in 2001.
The pair were among six people caned for breaking sharia laws.
A sharia police officer and his female partner also received 23 strokes each for being caught in close proximity in a private place.
Historically, a separatist Free Aceh Movement fought for an independent state against the Indonesian government until a peace agreement was signed in 2005.
Subsequently, Aceh was granted wide-ranging autonomy to implement its own laws, including sharia law.
Aceh's government says sharia law only applies to muslims in the region.
Top image via AFP
