Two men received public flogging in Aceh, Indonesia

• Two men received 80 lashes each for engaging in homosexual acts.
• Public flogging is part of Sharia law in Aceh.
• Aceh is the only province in Indonesia that practices Sharia law.

On September 26, 2025, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia — Two men in the conservative province of Aceh were publicly flogged after an Islamic court found them guilty of violating Islamic law by engaging in homosexual acts. The court ruled that these actions could lead to the prohibition of forbidden sexual relations.

Approximately 100 people were present at the flogging, which took place in the Bustanus Salatin Park in Banda Aceh. The men, aged 20 and 21, received 80 lashes each. During the flogging, they were surrounded by people in the crowd.

Aceh allows up to 100 lashes for moral violations, including homosexuality and same-sex relationships between unmarried individuals. Such flogging is also applied for gambling, alcohol consumption, and other offenses.

The men were arrested in the Tamansari Park, after local residents notified the police that they saw them together in the toilet. The couple was identified through an online dating app.

Aceh is the only province in Indonesia where Sharia law is implemented. Since the establishment of Islamic law in 2006, four similar punishments for homosexual conduct have been carried out.

In 2016, a coalition of human rights organizations submitted a petition to the Supreme Court of Indonesia for a review of the regional laws of Aceh that allow flogging, but the request was dismissed.

Some experts, such as Maidzina Rakhmatova from the Institute for Reform of Criminal Justice, state that public flogging violates human rights and international norms. However, local residents, such as Aulia Saputra, believe that this could prevent similar violations in the future.

Tags: Crime