Sharia police arrested the pair in April after witnessing them kissing and hugging in a public bathroom
Banda Aceh: An Islamic Shariah court in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province sentenced two men to 80 public lashes each on Monday after religious police caught them engaging in what the court described as sexual acts.
The trial, conducted at the Islamic Shariah District Court in Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, was held behind closed doors. Judges have the authority to restrict public access to cases involving adultery, opening the trial only for the verdict.
The men, aged 20 and 21, were arrested in April after residents reported seeing them enter the same bathroom at Taman Sari city park in Banda Aceh. Shariah police, patrolling the area, broke into the toilet and found the men kissing and hugging, which the court considered sexual conduct.
Aceh province is known for its strict observance of Islamic Shariah law, setting it apart from other areas of predominantly Muslim Indonesia. It is the only province permitted to implement a local version of Shariah law.
Monday’s sentence marks the fifth instance since 2015 that Aceh has ordered public caning for homosexuality, following the implementation of Islamic law as a government concession to end a prolonged separatist rebellion.
Indonesia’s national criminal code does not criminalise homosexuality, and the central government lacks authority to overturn Shariah law in Aceh.
AP inputs