A woman and a man from Aceh, Indonesia were publicly whipped for having sexual relations outside of marriage and consuming alcohol, receiving 140 lashes.

In the Indonesian province of Aceh, a 21-year-old woman and a man were subjected to a severe punishment for having sexual relations outside of marriage and consuming alcohol, receiving 140 blows with a rattan cane in front of a crowd.

The young woman fainted after the punishment, which was carried out by three women from the sharia police. Aceh is the only province in Indonesia that enforces sharia law, having special autonomy since 2001. The couple was among six people publicly punished, including a police officer and his partner, who were caught near a residence. The cane punishment is used for various offenses, and this practice has drawn criticism from human rights groups, who consider it inhumane and inappropriate. Activist Azharul Husna emphasized the need to improve the rules regarding these punishments.