A 22-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman in Aceh province, Indonesia, were publicly caned on July 2 after a Sharia court convicted them of violating Islamic law by kissing during a TikTok livestream, according to multiple sources [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The couple was sentenced to 21 lashes each, reduced from the original 25 due to time spent in prison [1, 2, 3].
The punishment was carried out at Bustanussalatin City Park in Banda Aceh city center, with dozens to up to 100 people watching [1, 2, 3]. During the caning, the woman was filmed kneeling and crying out in pain before fainting. Medical personnel checked her, and the remaining lashes were to be administered once she recovered [2, 6, 7, 4, 5].
The couple’s kiss during a TikTok livestream on February 27 went viral, triggering an arrest and conviction in April by the Aceh Sharia court [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Aceh is Indonesia’s only province enforcing Islamic Sharia law, which forbids intimate contact such as kissing or hugging between unmarried men and women [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Public caning is regularly applied in Aceh for offenses including adultery, gambling, alcohol use, same-sex relations, and non-marital intimacy [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Four other individuals were also publicly caned on the same day for offenses including gambling and adultery [1, 7, 5]. Aceh expanded Sharia law's reach to non-Muslims in 2015, who make up about 1% of the population [1].
Local authorities defend public caning as a deterrent and part of Aceh’s identity. Muhammad Rizal, Aceh’s Islamic Sharia Police Chief, said, "They clearly violated Islamic law. This is the first time in Aceh province that someone was punished under Islamic law for violating it through social media" [3].
Human rights groups and Amnesty International Indonesia condemned the punishment as cruel and degrading. Usman Hamid, Amnesty’s Executive Director Indonesia, said, "Such behaviour might be considered inappropriate because social media is viewed by people of various age groups, including children. But is it a crime that warrants imprisonment or even caning? That would be excessive" [1]. Amnesty further stated that the punishment shows the Sharia code’s expanded scope to silence peaceful expression in digital spaces [3].
The dispute over the number of lashes the woman received remains, with some sources reporting 27 lashes but the majority stating 21 [1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 4, 5]. The caning event marked a high-profile enforcement of Sharia law on social media behavior in Aceh.
The couple’s case and punishment follow standard procedures in Aceh’s legal system, with the verdict delivered in April and the public caning in July [1].
