Aceh Couple Publicly Flogged Over Viral TikTok Kiss

In Indonesia's Aceh province, a young couple faced public flogging on Thursday, July 2nd, after an Islamic Shariah court found them guilty of breaching religious law. Their offense involved kissing during a TikTok livestream, an act deemed unlawful for unmarried individuals under the region's strict statutes. The Sharia court in Aceh mandated 21 strokes of a rattan cane for each person. While the initial sentence was 25 lashes, it was reduced by four strokes, considering the couple had already spent four months in detention.

The public punishment unfolded before an audience of at least a hundred people at Bustanussalatin City Park in Banda Aceh. The caning was carried out by individuals cloaked in robes and hoods on a raised platform. The man, aged 22, and the woman, 25, were apprehended in April following a viral livestream on February 27th. In the video, they were seen kissing inside a car in Banda Aceh, which subsequently led to reports being made to local Sharia authorities. As part of the evidence, the court confiscated a mobile phone and a USB flash drive containing the TikTok video, both slated for destruction.

Aceh holds a unique position as the only province within Muslim-majority Indonesia that enforces a version of Islamic law. This right was granted by Indonesia's secular central government in 2006, forming part of a peace accord that brought an end to a separatist conflict. In 2015, the scope of this law was expanded to include non-Muslims, who constitute approximately one percent of the province's population. The Sharia legislation permits up to 100 lashes for various morality offenses, including adultery and same-sex relations. Additionally, caning is a prescribed punishment for offenses like gambling, alcohol consumption, women wearing immodest attire, and men missing Friday prayers.