Beaten until she can barely stand: Woman has to be helped to her feet after she is lashed with a cane for 'public display of affection' under Sharia law

Published: 03:13 EST, 12 November 2026 | Updated: 03:14 EST, 12 November 2026 A woman had to be helped to her feet after she was beaten with a cane for a public display of affection under an Indonesian province's strict Sharia laws. The unnamed woman was among six people subjected to public flogging on Thursday in Aceh, the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia to administer Islamic law. Four people were punished for engaging in intimate public displays of affection, while another two were flogged for gambling. The number of lashes administered ranged from nine to 22. Images of the public caning today showed a woman dressed in white on her knees and grimacing in pain as she was lashed by a hooded 'alogojo', or flogger. Later images showed the same woman being helped off the ground. Separately, a man was seen wincing as he was struck by a wooden rod. Under Sharia law, the mixing of men and women who are unrelated is strictly forbidden. Caning in Aceh is used to punish a wide range of offences, including gambling, drinking alcohol, homosexual acts, and having sexual relations outside of marriage. Back in August, a woman became the first person to be publicly caned in Aceh for 'committing obscenity live with a man on social media.' A woman had to be helped to her feet after she was beaten with a cane for a public display of affection in Indonesia's Banda Aceh province on ThursdayThe woman was among four people punished for showing public displays of affection She was pictured shutting her eyes as she was struck The punishment was handed down after she and her partner were accused of kissing during a TikTok livestream.It is also intended to shame as well as inflict pain on people found to have violated Sharia law. Canings are often staged outside mosques or in community squares, with crowds watching and documenting the event on their mobile phones.Human rights groups say the humiliation adds to the cruelty and causes lasting psychological damage.Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have repeatedly condemned the practice, saying it violates Indonesia's constitution and its obligations under international law.Amnesty said in a statement: 'Caning contravenes Indonesia's constitution and is in clear violation of international human rights law and standards.'It constitutes a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and can amount to torture in violation of the UN Convention against Torture and other international covenants, to which Indonesia is a State Party.'Local officials have defended the practice as a deterrent and as part of the province's identity, while critics warn it has negatively impacted Indonesia's human rights reputation and inflicted lasting trauma on those who endure it. man convicted of violating Sharia law by engaging in public displays of affection received 20 lashes at Bustanul Salatin Park in Banda Aceh A man convicted og gambling received nine lashes A man convicted of violating Sharia law by engaging in public displays of affection received 22 lashes at Bustanul Salatin Park in Banda Aceh A woman kneels as she receives lashes after being sentenced for violating Sharia law It comes just months after a couple was subjected to one of the worst sentences of caning the province's authorities have administered. The couple received 100 lashes in September, after being convicted of adultery. The caning was so severe that the woman collapsed from the pain. Images showed the woman grimacing in pain and holding her hand up as she pleaded for mercy while she received lashes on her back.However, later pictures showed the woman being helped off the ground after she collapsed to her knees.Images of her partner also showed him wincing as he was struck.According to local news outlet AJNN, the man's caning was halted temporarily after he received 60 lashes over concerns for his health.Head of the General Crimes Section of the Banda Aceh District Attorney's Office, Darma Mustika, said: 'Perhaps his health was a little compromised, or he simply couldn't handle the whipping. So we stopped him first to give him a chance to rest.'The caning then resumed until the man received 100 lashes in total.