A world that seems to be retreating to the distant past emerges darkly every time news like this breaks of 100 lashes inflicted on a woman and her partner in Indonesia, for sexual relations before marriage. The unmarried couple in the city of Banda Aceh, north of Sumatra, fell foul of Sharia law and its strict regulations. Specifically, both were punished with 100 public lashes, after being caught by the Sharia police in the region. As is customary, the executioner wore a dark brown robe-like garment and a white face mask, while the punishment was carried out publicly. The woman, according to a Daily Mail report, fainted and was taken away in an ambulance. The man, on the other hand, grimaced repeatedly but remained conscious.
Sharia law: The harshest punishment for child rapists
The couple is unfortunate, as Aceh is the only Muslim region in Indonesia where Sharia law is implemented. There are many “offenses” that lead to flogging: gambling, alcohol consumption, homosexual acts, and sexual relations outside marriage. Child rapists are punished more severely. Specifically, with penalties of up to 200 cane strikes, imprisonment for up to 200 months, or monetary fines equivalent to the value of up to two kilograms of gold.
They are not the only ones punished with flogging in 2026. In January, another woman and her partner were each punished with 140 lashes for alcohol consumption and sexual relations outside marriage, in one of the harshest penalties imposed in the region for such behavior. The couple received strikes on their backs with a cane in a public park, while dozens of people watched the punishment. The woman in that case had also fainted and needed to be taken away in an ambulance. The couple had been sentenced to 100 lashes for extramarital sex and an additional 40 for alcohol consumption.
The head of Sharia police in Banda Aceh, Muhamad Rizal, had stated at the time: “As we promised, we make no exceptions, especially not for our own members. This certainly tarnishes our name.” Last year, two men were also punished with 76 lashes each, after a Sharia court found them guilty of sexual relations.
