Couple Publicly Flogged in Indonesia for Viral TikTok Kiss

A couple in Indonesia's Aceh province faced public caning after a video of them kissing, filmed during a TikTok live stream, went viral. The 22-year-old man and 25-year-old woman each received 21 lashes in a public park in Banda Aceh. Their sentence was reduced from an initial 25 lashes due to time already served in detention. The charge was 'ikhtilat,' a violation under Aceh's Sharia penal code that prohibits intimate interactions between unmarried individuals.

The incident drew significant attention after the video circulated widely in February. The couple was part of a group of six individuals publicly punished on the same day following rulings by the Banda Aceh Sharia Court. Two other men were also publicly flogged, each receiving 28 lashes for offenses related to intimate behavior.

Aceh holds a special autonomous status within Indonesia and is the country's sole region that implements Sharia criminal law alongside the national, largely secular legal system. This autonomy was granted in the early 2000s following a protracted separatist conflict. Public caning remains a highly controversial aspect of Aceh's legal system, consistently drawing criticism from human rights organizations who deem it degrading and contrary to international standards.