Shariah court in Indonesia sentences two men to up to 85 lashes for having gay sex

Two men in Aceh, Indonesia, sentenced to public caning for gay sex, highlighting the strict Shariah law in the region.

An Islamic Shariah court in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province on Monday (February 24, 2025) sentenced two men to public caning for having gay sex.

The couple, aged 24 and 18, were arrested on Nov. 7, after neighborhood vigilantes in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, suspected them of being gay and broke into their rented room to catch them naked and hugging each other.

The lead judge said that the two college students were “legally and convincingly" proven to have had gay sex and would receive 85 and 80 strokes respectively.

“During the trial it was proven that the defendants committed illicit acts, including kissing and having sex.“ said the judge, Sakwanah, who goes by a single name like many Indonesians. ”As Muslims, the defendants should uphold the Shariah law that prevails in Aceh," she added.

She said the three-judge panel decided against imposing the maximum sentence of 100 lashes because the men were outstanding students who were polite in court, cooperated with authorities and had no previous convictions.

Prosecutors previously demanded each get 80 strokes, but the judges decided on a harsher punishment for the older man because they believed that he was the one who had encouraged and provided a place for sexual relations.

Both prosecutors and the lawyers for the two men said they accepted the sentence and will not appeal.