Two male college students have been sentenced to over 80 lashes under Sharia law in Indonesia’s, Aceh province. The young men, aged 24 and 18, were discovered by local vigilantes, who broke into their rented room and found them naked together.

Sharia law categorises actions into five groups: obligatory, recommended, permitted, disliked, and forbidden. Homosexuality falls under the forbidden category and is punishable by up to 100 lashes.

Aceh, the most devoutly Islamic region in Indonesia, is the only province in the country permitted to enforce Sharia law, following a special autonomy agreement granted by the national government in 2001. Since then, public caning has become a common form of punishment for so-called “morality offences,” with over 100 people subjected to this form of corporal punishment each year. These offences include same-sex relations, extramarital sex, women wearing clothing deemed too tight, and men failing to attend Friday prayers.  

Human Rights Watch has condemned Aceh’s enforcement of Sharia law, particularly its harsh treatment of the LGBTQ+ community. In 2021, two men were publicly caned 77 times after a mob raided their apartment and handed them over to authorities. In another case in 2017, police arrested 12 transgender women, after raiding five beauty salons. They then went on to forcibly shave the women’s hair, and subjected them to so-called “re-education”.

Despite international criticism, Aceh’s religious authorities continue to defend these punishments as necessary to uphold Islamic law. The two young men recently sentenced in Indonesia have reportedly chosen not to file appeals. They now face public humiliation and physical suffering under a legal system that criminalises their identity.  

Sharia law is also present in other countries including, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Afghanistan. The use of public flogging as a form of punishment continues to draw condemnation from human rights organisations and activists who argue that such practices violate fundamental human rights. However, in Aceh, where religious conservatism remains deeply ingrained, authorities show no signs of reversing their stance on enforcing Sharia law.