Young unmarried couples publicly caned for getting ‘too close’ to one another in Indonesia

A group of young people were photographed screaming in pain as they were caned for being ‘too intimate’ in Indonesia. The 13 men and women, aged 21 to 30, were the latest to be punished at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in Banda Ace for breaking the province’s strict Islamic laws. All members of the group were actually couples who were found guilty of breaking intimacy bans by touching, hugging and kissing while unmarried in Aceh. One woman in the group was given a temporary reprieve as she was pregnant, but Aceh Deputy Mayor Zainal Arifin said she will be caned ‘as soon as she gives birth’. He added: ‘We hope there are no more people in Banda Aceh who break the law in future.’A man was caned for a less serious offence described as spending time with a member of the opposite sex in a hidden location in a fashion that could lead to adultery. The event marks yet another increase to the amount of people being caned in Aceh for crimes including gambling, drinking alcohol and gay sex. The island began implementing sharia law, which states that men and women who are not married are not allowed to get close to eachother due to the ‘khalwat’ offence, after being granted special autonomy in 2001. In December, a woman was caned in front of a crowd for being ‘too close’ to a man who she wasn’t married to. Nur Elita was forced to endure the punishment outside a mosque where hundreds of people gathered to watch her being caned. She received five lashes and had to be taken to hospital following the punishment. Nur had violated the region’s strict Sharia laws after she allegedly showed affection to a fellow university student.