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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Yayan Zamzami and Edna Tarigan

Men charged with hugging and kissing are among group publicly caned by Indonesian Islamic court

Indonesia Caning - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Two men in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province were among a group of people publicly caned on Tuesday after an Islamic Shariah court convicted them of violating Islamic law by hugging and kissing, which the court ruled can lead to banned sexual relations.

An audience of about 100 people witnessed the caning on a stage in Bustanussalatin city park in Banda Aceh on Tuesday. The men, aged 20 and 21, were whipped across their backs with a rattan cane dozens of times by a group of people wearing robes and hoods.

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