Couple publicly caned after alleged TikTok kiss sparks outrage in Indonesia

A young couple in Indonesia was publicly caned Thursday after allegedly kissing during a TikTok livestream.

The couple — a 22-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman — each received 21 lashes, according to the Associated Press (AP).

They were reportedly convicted of violating local morality laws under an Islamic sharia court in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province. 

The pair, who were detained in March, had already spent four months in prison prior to the punishment, which ultimately reduced their sentence from 25 lashes to 21, the AP said. 

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According to local authorities, the couple filmed a TikTok video inside a car one night in March.

As the video went viral, they were subsequently apprehended for what officials described as an "immoral act." 

"Their actions were uncovered thanks to reports from residents who were disturbed by their immoral livestream content," Sharia police said in April. 

"The trigger was their livestream on TikTok while engaging in immoral acts in the car," Head of the Sharia Police Muhammad Rizal added in his statement. "This sparked criticism from netizens and local residents, who then reported them to the authorities."

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The court also confiscated a cellphone and a USB flash drive containing the TikTok video, which authorities promised to destroy, according to the AP.

A Banda Aceh resident who attended the caning, 22-year-old Aini Nadhirah, said she believed the punishment was "entirely justified."

"In my opinion, this caning is entirely justified because it serves as a warning to other Aceh residents to be more careful when using social media," Nadhirah said, according to the AP.

"It also raises awareness that such actions are unacceptable, thereby educating the public."

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Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia that enforces its own Islamic Criminal Code governing moral conduct. 

The province’s right to implement Islamic law was granted by Indonesia’s secular central government around 2005 as part of a peace deal to end a separatist insurgency. The policy was later expanded to apply to non-Muslims as well. 

Under the law, moral offenses — including adultery and same-sex relations — can carry penalties of up to 100 lashes. Caning is also used for individuals accused of gambling, drinking, adultery and premarital intimacy. 

Public caning in Aceh has long drawn criticism from human rights groups, including Amnesty International Indonesia, which has called the practice cruel and degrading.

Despite Indonesia having ratified international conventions prohibiting cruel punishment, local authorities in Aceh defend the practice, arguing it does not fall under such definition. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.