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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Reza Saifullah and Edna Tarigan

Couple publicly caned in Indonesia after kissing on TikTok livestream

A shariah law official holds a rattan cane before the public caning of a young couple after an Islamic Shariah court convicted them of violating Islamic law by kissing during a TikTok livestream, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Reza Saifullah) - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

A young couple in Indonesia have been publicly caned after an Islamic Sharia court convicted them of violating religious law by kissing during a TikTok livestream.

The Sharia court in Aceh ordered the pair to receive 21 lashes each with a rattan cane for the act of kissing while unmarried. The punishment was carried out on a stage in Bustanussalatin City Park in Banda Aceh, witnessed by at least a hundred people and administered by individuals wearing robes and hoods.

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