By Admin 
In the Ache province of Indonesia, two men were ordered to be beaten publicly, as they were found kissing and embracing each other in the public toilet. On Tuesday (August 26, 2025) in the park of Banda Ache Bandanusalatin, Banda Ache was sentenced to whipping in the presence of about 100 people on a platform. The court had ordered both of them to kill 80-80 whip. However, he was killed by 76 whip due to his already spending four months in custody.
This incident was like a public performance. Both were parked in turn in front of the crowd and the police beat them. People present in the crowd kept watching this scene quietly as if it was a common part of religious discipline. Even these two men were not involved in this incident. On the same day, a total of 10 people were killed for different crimes such as extramarital affairs, closeness from people of opposite sex and online gambling.
International Response and Criticism of Amnesty International
Institutions like Amnesty International strongly criticized this decision. Amnesty’s Regional Research Director Montse Ferler said that declaring equal gender conduct as a crime is not just in a fair and human society. Human rights organizations believe that such public punishment is not only physical violence, but also an attack on the honor and privacy of the victims. The international community has been appealing to the Government of Indonesia for a long time to reconsider the law. However, a large number of people still believe that this law is necessary to maintain the religious and moral structure of the society. This is the reason that such punishments often get public support here.
Sharia law in Ache province
Indonesia’s Ache province is the only area in the country, where Sharia law is in force. After receiving special orders in 2001, the province started implementing Islamic religious laws. Under these laws, gambling, drinking, extramarital sex, wearing tight clothes of women and men’s absence from Friday prayers are considered a crime.
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