Aceh Publicly Canes Men for Kissing

Two men, aged 20 and 21, were publicly caned in Indonesia — Aceh, Indonesia, after an Islamic Shariah court convicted them of violating Islamic law by hugging and kissing. The court ruled these acts could lead to banned sexual relations. The men were arrested in April at Taman Sari city park in Banda Indonesia — Aceh after residents reported them to religious police. Indonesia — Aceh is the only province in Indonesia to practice Shariah law, a concession granted by the national government in 2006 to end a separatist uprising. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International and the Institute for Criminal Justice Reform, have criticized the caning as a violation of human rights. Indonesia's national criminal code does not regulate homosexuality, but the central government cannot overturn Indonesia — Aceh's Shariah law. This marks the fifth time Indonesia — Aceh has sentenced individuals to public caning for homosexuality-related offenses since the implementation of Islamic law.