2 men punished 77 times for having sex in Aceh, Indonesia

ACEH BANK, Indonesia >> Two men in the conservative province of Aceh, Indonesia, were publicly beaten 77 times on Thursdays after neighbors reported them to the Islamic religious police for having sex.

Dozens of people witnessed the beating at Tamansari city park in Banda Aceh. It is the third time that Aceh, the only province in Indonesia that practices sharia law, has punished people for homosexuality since Islamic law was implemented in 2015 as a government concession to end a long-standing separatist rebellion.

The men, aged 27 to 29, were whipped on the back and shuddered in pain as a team of five executioners wearing cloaks and hoods took turns, relieving each other every 40 strokes.

The men were arrested in November after residents became suspicious and broke into their rented room, where they were caught having sex, said Heru Triwijanarko, chief of Sharia police in Aceh.

A sharia court last month sentenced each man to 80 strokes, but they were punished 77 times after the remission of time spent in prison.

Four other people received 17 strokes for extramarital affairs and 40 strokes for drinking alcohol.

A Shariah code allows up to 100 lashes for moral crimes, including gay sex. Caning is also punishment for adultery, gambling, drinking and for women who wear tight clothes and men who skip Friday prayers.

With the exception of Aceh, homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia, but the country’s discreet LGBT community has been under siege in recent years.