The four men were publicly flogged in public in front of a crowd of dozens after they were caught allegedly gambling online which is punishable under Islamic law in Aceh, Indonesia
Men caught gambling online winced in pain as they were publicly flogged with canes flogged in front of a crowd of dozens.
The four men were lashed with canes as part of the brutal punishment in at a public in Banda Aceh city in Indonesia’s Aceh region. Aceh enforces some elements of Islamic law after being granted greater autonomy by Indonesia’s government.
One of the men was lashed 22 times while three other men were struck nine times. The punishment was meted out based on the their betting and income, according to Islamic law enforcement chief Roslina.
The men winced as they were struck on their backs as an Imam gave a sermon about repentance. Photos from the public punishment show the men being caned. “One person received more lashes because their wager and winnings exceeded the equivalent of two grams of gold,” Roslina said, according to MailOnline. “Meanwhile, the other three were below that threshold.”
The men were reportedly caught gambling at an internet café. The public punishment is the first public lashing of the year in the region.
The Mirror has contacted Aceh police for comment.
Aceh’s Ministry of Communication carries out “cyber patrols ” in the hopes of “eradicating” gambling in the world’s most populous Muslim country. Police took action against 72,543 accounts related to online gambling between December 1 and December 10.
Last year, six men were caught gambling online and were publicly flogged. Two Christian men were flogged 40 times after they drank alcohol and gambled in an instance of non-Muslim people facing the punishment.
Human rights organisations have frequently complained about the punishments, deploring the multiple instances where it has been used. Amnesty International has called to end caning as a punishment in Aceh.
The organisation expressed outrage when the punishment was used against two men who allegedly took part in consensual same-sex relations in 2021 and when two people were whipped unconscious during a public punishment in 2019.
Elements of Sharia law have been part of Aceh’s legal framework since 2001. The central government in Indonesia granted the use of the punishments in a bid to quell an independence movement in the region.
Since being introduced, hundreds of people have been flogged in public.
