Aceh Couple Caned 140 Times In Harshest Sharia Punishment

On January 29, 2026, a public square in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, became the stage for one of the harshest punishments carried out in the region since the implementation of Sharia law in 2001. A young woman and her lover were each caned 140 times for having sex outside marriage and consuming alcohol, in what authorities and observers say is among the severest sentences handed down in more than two decades. According to reports from AFP and BBC, the spectacle drew dozens of onlookers and once again cast a spotlight on Aceh’s controversial legal system.

The punishment, delivered with a rattan cane, was split into 100 lashes for sexual relations outside of marriage and an additional 40 for drinking alcohol—a practice strictly forbidden under Aceh’s Islamic criminal code. The 21-year-old woman sobbed and collapsed during the ordeal, ultimately needing to be carried off the stage by female officers to a waiting ambulance. Three female officers took turns administering the lashes, as described by BBC, while the crowd watched the harrowing scene unfold.

The couple’s case was not isolated. Four other individuals were also punished on the same day for breaking the Islamic code, including a Sharia police officer and his female partner. Their offense—being in close proximity in a private place—earned each of them 23 lashes. Muhammad Rizal, the head of Banda Aceh’s Sharia police, made it clear to AFP that the law applies to all, regardless of position or status: “As promised, we make no exceptions, especially not for our own members. This certainly tarnishes our name.”

Aceh, located on the northern tip of Sumatra, is the only province in Indonesia permitted to enforce Sharia law, following special autonomy granted by the central government in 2001. While Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, its national legal system is secular. Aceh, however, stands apart with its own set of Islamic regulations that criminalize not only intimate relations between unmarried couples and alcohol consumption, but also gambling and homosexual acts. Public caning has become a common, if controversial, tool for enforcing these laws, and the spectacle of corporal punishment in public spaces routinely draws crowds of curious and sometimes supportive spectators.

The severity of the recent punishment has reignited debate within Indonesia and beyond. Human rights groups have long criticized public caning as cruel and degrading. Azharul Husna, Aceh coordinator for the Indonesian rights group Kontras, told BBC that canings are not properly regulated and called for improvements to the rules and support for those who endure these punishments. The international community has also taken notice. In 2025, two men were publicly flogged 76 times each after being found guilty of sexual relations outside marriage—a case that prompted Amnesty International’s regional research director, Montse Ferrer, to denounce the punishment as “a disturbing act of state-sanctioned discrimination and cruelty.”

The January 2026 caning, however, stands out for its sheer severity. According to The Independent, the 140 lashes delivered to each member of the couple are among the highest recorded since Aceh’s Sharia system was established. The woman’s collapse and subsequent medical treatment only underscored the physical and psychological toll exacted by such punishments. Spectators, including journalists and human rights monitors, witnessed the woman’s distress as she was escorted on a stretcher to a nearby ambulance—a stark reminder of the human cost behind the legal codes.

Sharia police chief Muhammad Rizal, who presided over the day’s proceedings, confirmed the details to AFP: the couple received 100 lashes for sex outside marriage and 40 for drinking alcohol. He emphasized the impartiality of the law, noting that even members of the Sharia police are subject to its strictures. “As promised, we make no exceptions, especially not for our own members. This certainly tarnishes our name,” he reiterated, drawing attention to the officer among those punished that day.

Despite the international condemnation, public caning remains widely practiced in Aceh. Offenses such as gambling, alcohol use, same-sex relations, and extramarital sex are all subject to corporal punishment, and the enforcement is often public and ritualized. The intention, according to local authorities, is to serve as a deterrent and reinforce the moral code of the community. Yet, as BBC and The Independent have reported, the practice is not without controversy even among Acehnese themselves, with some questioning the spectacle and the lasting impact on those punished.

The roots of Aceh’s Sharia system go back to the early 2000s, when the region was granted special autonomy by Indonesia’s central government. This autonomy allowed Aceh to impose Islamic law in an effort to address longstanding demands for self-governance and to quell separatist sentiment. Since then, the Sharia code has been expanded and enforced with increasing rigor. While supporters argue that it upholds religious values and social order, critics—both within and outside Aceh—point to the human rights implications and the potential for abuse.

International observers have frequently highlighted the lack of regulation and oversight surrounding public canings. Azharul Husna of Kontras noted that the rules should be improved to better support people after they are caned, suggesting that the current system leaves those punished without adequate care or recourse. The spectacle of public punishment, often attended by large crowds and media, raises questions about dignity, justice, and the potential for lasting trauma.

Still, Aceh’s authorities have shown little sign of backing down. The January 2026 caning is a vivid example of the province’s commitment to its legal code, even as the rest of Indonesia maintains a secular system. The inclusion of a Sharia police officer among those punished may have been intended to demonstrate the impartiality and seriousness of the law, but it also highlighted the internal contradictions and reputational risks faced by the authorities.

For the couple at the center of this case, the punishment was not only physically excruciating but also deeply humiliating, carried out before a crowd and broadcast to the world. As debates continue over the role of Sharia law in Aceh and the place of corporal punishment in modern society, the events of January 29, 2026, stand as a stark reminder of the enduring tensions between tradition, autonomy, and human rights in Indonesia’s most conservative province.

The story of the 140 lashes in Aceh is more than just a headline—it is a window into a society wrestling with questions of justice, faith, and the limits of state power, with real and lasting consequences for those caught in its grip.