*Aceh, Indonesia : *A group of amorous couples and alleged sex workers werepublicly whipped for breaking Islamic law in Indonesia’s Aceh Friday, justa week after the province pledged to move the widely condemned practiceindoors.
More than a thousand people, including dozens of tourists from neighbouringMalaysia, jeered and screamed abuse at the group as they were floggedoutside a mosque in the capital Banda Aceh.
Thousands of people hurled abuses and jeered at the group being flogged(AFP)
The three men and five women — who included several college students –were found guilty of violating religious law by either showing affection inpublic or for offering sexual services online, officials said.
Aceh is the only province in the world’s most populous Muslim-majoritycountry that imposes Islamic law and flogging is a common punishment for arange of offences — from gambling, to drinking alcohol to having gay sexor relations outside of marriage.
The conservative region on the northern tip of Sumatra island passed aregulation a week ago that would see criminals whipped only behind prisonwalls. It was not clear when the new rule would come into effect.
The move was in response to a wave of international criticism over thepractice, which has included flogging members of the region’s LGBTcommunity and, in some cases, non-Muslims.
Rights groups have derided it as cruel and last year President Joko Widodocalled for an end to public whippings in Aceh.
Around 98 per cent of the province’s five million residents are Muslims,subject to religious law, including the public whippings which came intopractice around 2005.
The new rule has generated protests from conservative groups who see publicwhippings as having a strong deterrent effect on crime.
Banda Aceh’s deputy mayor Zainal Arifin said Friday’s flogging was not anact of defiance against the new rules.
“We understand that the regulation has not yet come into effect and theprison is not yet ready to (host floggings) so that is why we are stilldoing it” in public, he said.
“Until the new regulation is officially in place we will carry on as usual.”