Indonesian couple punished with public caning for kissing on TikTok livestream

An Indonesian couple was publicly caned in Aceh province on Thursday (Jul 2) after a Sharia court found them guilty of violating Islamic law by kissing during a TikTok livestream. The pair, a 22-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman, received 21 lashes each as the crowd gathered watched. Their initial sentence of 25 lashes as punishment was reduced as they had spent four months in prison.

The punishment was witnessed by at least 100 people at Bustanussalatin City Park, where public canings are regularly held under Aceh’s Islamic legal system. A group of people wearing robes and hoods carried out the whipping on a stage.

The couple was arrested after a livestream on February 27, in which they kissed while sitting in a car in Banda Aceh. The video of the livestream went viral on social media, following which local residents reported the incident to Sharia enforcement authorities. The couple was then arrested in April and later prosecuted. The court had also ordered the destruction of a mobile phone and a USB drive containing the viral video, treating them as evidence in the case.

Aceh is the only Indonesian province permitted to enforce Sharia law, a privilege granted under a 2006 autonomy agreement following the end of a decades-long separatist conflict. Its Islamic criminal code prescribes corporal punishment of up to 100 lashes for offences ranging from gambling, alcohol consumption, adultery, gay sex and certain acts considered violations of public morality. Caning is also allowed to punish women who wear tight clothes or men who skip Friday prayers. In 2015, several provisions were expanded to also cover non-Muslim residents.

Apart from the young couple, four other people were also caned on Thursday for gambling and adultery.

Human rights organisations have repeatedly condemned Aceh’s public canings. Amnesty International Indonesia said the practice is cruel, inhumane and degrading.

“Such behaviour might be considered inappropriate because social media is viewed by people of various age groups, including children. But is it a crime that warrants imprisonment or even caning? That would be excessive,” said Usman Hamid, the executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, on Thursday (Jul 2).

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