An Islamic court in Aceh, Indonesia, has sentenced two male college students to 80 lashes each in public after ruling that kissing and hugging constituted sexual acts under local Islamic law.
The closed-door trial in Banda Aceh followed their April arrest, when religious police, alerted by residents, found them in the same public park bathroom.
The men, aged 20 and 21, were accused of committing acts that could lead to same-sex relations, which are punishable by up to 100 lashes in Aceh.
Prosecutors initially sought 85 strokes, but judges reduced the sentence, citing the men’s cooperation, good behavior, and clean records.
Their four months in detention will reduce the punishment by four strokes.
Aceh is the only Indonesian province permitted to enforce Islamic criminal law, introduced in 2006 and expanded in 2015 to cover non-Muslims.
Offenses such as adultery, gambling, alcohol consumption, and certain dress code violations are also punishable by caning.
Human rights groups have criticized the law for breaching international agreements on minority rights, as Indonesia’s national criminal code does not outlaw homosexuality.
This is the fifth recorded case in Aceh where individuals have been publicly caned for alleged homosexual acts since the law’s implementation.