WATCH: 21 Lashes For A TikTok Kiss? Couple Publicly Caned Under Sharia Law

A young couple in Indonesia has been publicly caned after allegedly kissing during a TikTok livestream, with the punishment carried out under Islamic Sharia law in the country's conservative Aceh province.

The 22-year-old man and 25-year-old woman each received 21 lashes on Thursday after being convicted by a Sharia court of violating local morality laws. According to reports, the pair had already spent four months in prison after being detained in March, which reduced their original sentence from 25 lashes to 21.

Authorities said the couple recorded a TikTok livestream inside a car before the footage spread online, leading to complaints from residents and their eventual arrest. The case has once again drawn attention to Aceh's strict enforcement of Islamic law, where public caning remains a legal punishment for a range of morality-related offences despite criticism from human rights organisations.

TikTok Livestream Led To Public Punishment

According to reports, local authorities said the couple filmed a TikTok livestream inside a car one night in March. The video later went viral, after which they were arrested for what officials described as an 'immoral act.'

Sharia police said the investigation began after members of the public raised concerns about the content.

'Their actions were uncovered thanks to reports from residents who were disturbed by their immoral livestream content,' Sharia police said in April.

Muhammad Rizal, Head of the Sharia Police, also explained how the case unfolded.

'The trigger was their livestream on TikTok while engaging in immoral acts in the car,' Rizal said in his statement. 'This sparked criticism from netizens and local residents, who then reported them to the authorities.'

The couple appeared before an Islamic Sharia court in Aceh, where they were found guilty of breaching the province's morality laws. Although the court originally handed each of them a sentence of 25 lashes, the punishment was reduced to 21 because they had already spent four months in prison after their arrest in March.

Authorities also confiscated a mobile phone and a USB flash drive containing the TikTok video. According to reports, officials said both items would be destroyed.

Among those watching the public caning was 22-year-old Banda Aceh resident Aini Nadhirah, who supported the punishment.

'In my opinion, this caning is entirely justified because it serves as a warning to other Aceh residents to be more careful when using social media,' Nadhirah said.

She added, 'It also raises awareness that such actions are unacceptable, thereby educating the public.'

Aceh's Sharia Laws And Ongoing Criticism

Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia that enforces its own Islamic Criminal Code governing moral conduct.

The province was granted the right to implement Islamic law by Indonesia's secular central government around 2005 as part of a peace agreement aimed at ending a separatist insurgency. The policy was later expanded so that it also applied to non-Muslims.

Under Aceh's laws, offences including adultery and same-sex relations can result in penalties of up to 100 lashes. Public caning is also used as punishment for people accused of gambling, drinking alcohol, adultery and premarital intimacy.

The practice has faced criticism for years from human rights organisations. Amnesty International Indonesia has described public caning as cruel and degrading.

Despite Indonesia having ratified international conventions that prohibit cruel punishment, authorities in Aceh continue to defend the practice. Officials maintain that caning under the province's Islamic legal system does not fall within the definition of cruel punishment.