An Islamic leader, Mukhlis, who was involved in drafting strict religious laws ordering adulterers to be flogged, has himself been whipped due to an affair with a married woman.
Mukhlis is a member of the Aceh Ulema Council and works to assist the government of Aceh.
As the consequence of his actions, Mukhlis was flogged 28 times with a rattan cane while his married companion received 23 canes. The flogging was held in public in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh on Thursday 31st October.
This kind of punishment is often carried out in public. Usually, a veiled executioner strikes the convict under the watchful eye of tens, or sometimes hundreds of viewers with a rattan stick. In 2017, the flogging of two homosexuals attracted hundreds of interested people.
Sharia law has been in force in Aceh since 2005 which means that cheating, homosexuality, and gambling are treated as a serious offence. Flogging is a common punishment for a range of offences in Aceh.
Aceh is the only region in Indonesia that imposes Islamic law, part of a 2005 autonomy deal with the central government that ended a decades-long separatist insurgency.
It is the first time since the introduction of Sharia that a prominent Islamic leader has been publicly flogged in Aceh. He may also be expelled from the religious council.
Source: NOS, Dailymail
Image: Dailymail