ACEH, Indonesia – The verdict came down on a humid Monday afternoon. Inside the small courtroom of Banda Aceh’s sharia court, three judges sat behind a dark wooden bench. In front of them, two men stood quietly, heads down.
They are known only by their initials – QH and RA. Both were found guilty of engaging in same-sex relations, something Aceh’s Islamic criminal code strictly forbids. The judges ruled they will each receive 80 cane strokes, carried out in public.
The sentence is just shy of what prosecutors wanted – 85 strokes. But the court counted the time the men have already spent in detention. They’ll stay in custody until the punishment is carried out.
“This is a ta’zir sentence, 80 strokes in public,” the lead judge said, his voice firm but without raising it.
Aceh is the only province in Indonesia with the authority to enforce such laws. Caning is still used here for moral and religious offenses – from gambling to adultery to same-sex conduct. Some locals believe it’s part of protecting tradition. Critics, especially from rights groups, see it as cruel, even humiliating.
Outside the court, a few people lingered, speaking in low tones. One man shook his head. Another said the law is the law. The rest just walked past without looking.
The prosecutor told reporters they would use the seven days allowed to think about an appeal. For now, nothing changes. The sentence will stand, and the debate over Aceh’s justice system will go on – as it always does after cases like this.[is]