Banda Aceh is the capital of Aceh province on Sumatra. It governs local urban life and hosts Indonesia’s only sharia-based legal system at provincial level, amid rising scrutiny of religious policing in the region.
Aceh’s Sharia court has ordered a 21-lash caning for a couple caught kissing unmarried, with witnesses present as public punishment. The sentences follow a viral TikTok livestream, highlighting Aceh’s unique enforcement of Islamic law within Indonesia and drawing comment from Amnesty International and other observers.