A couple in Indonesia were publicly whipped with a cane 26 times each today after being found guilty of having sex outside of marriage.
The agonizing punishment was administered in front of a mosque in Aceh province, where a strict version of Sharia law which forbids sexual intercourse between unmarried people applies.
A crowd watched as first the woman, identified locally as Linda (pictured), and then the man, were forced to endure the thrashing.
Eyewitness reports say Linda, who was clothed, knelt on a specially designed stage as the strokes were delivered onto her back. She screamed in pain and clutched her head. Afterwards she was examined by a doctor.
The man, flanked by two police officers, then stood on the stage as he was beaten while wearing his shirt and trousers.
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, that has adopted Sharia law. It did so in 2001.
Other “crimes” in the province include gay sex, drinking alcohol and gambling.
Unmarried men and women are also understood to be banned from riding together on motorbikes.