Saed News: Twelve women and men in Aceh province of Indonesia were publicly flogged for having an extramarital relationship.
According to SAEDNEWS, citing Fararu, after the execution of this punishment, at least two of the women were barely able to walk due to the severity of the punishment.
Twelve people were arrested late last year during a security raid on a hotel in the city of Banda Aceh, the capital of the province. Four of these individuals were sentenced to seven lashes for being seen with a member of the opposite sex. The other eight were flogged between 17 and 25 lashes for private relationships outside of marriage.
These 12 individuals had been in prison for several months before the sentence was carried out.
During the execution of the sentence by Sharia officers whose faces were covered, some of the women screamed in pain. Eventually, at least two of the women were taken away from the scene with the help of officers.
An official responsible for enforcing Sharia law in Aceh said: “This punishment has a deterrent effect not only for the offenders but also for those who are watching.”
He added: “The pain of flogging is not the worst part; shame is worse.”
Human rights defenders have criticized and condemned this punishment. The President of Indonesia has also called for an end to such sentences. However, this type of punishment is widely supported by the local population.
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia where Sharia law is implemented. About 98% of its five million residents are Muslims.
Authorities in the province consider acts such as alcohol consumption, extramarital sex, and homosexual relationships to be crimes and have repeatedly carried out punishments for offenders.
