[ April 19, 2026 ]
Former President Obama oft times brags about being raised in this “moderate” country. Indonesia is held up as a moderate Muslim country. Uh huh.
ADVERTISEMENT
Young couple caned in public square for cuddling in Indonesia
Teenage sweethearts were brutally caned in front of a baying crowd because they were caught cuddling.
Cheering locals took photos on their phones as the punishment was carried out in a public square in Banda Aceh in Indonesia.
The unidentified girl, 19, was dressed with her hair covered with a white hijab and kept her head down as she was led to the platform.
She kneeled on stage with her eyes closed waiting for the painful whipping with a bamboo cane.
ADVERTISEMENTHer boyfriend – who was also not identified – was then brought in front of the crowd wearing a white robe, known as a jubba.
He appeared to wince in pain as he was struck by a man whose face was covered with a mask.
It is not clear how many lashes the couple received, but the usual punishment for “moral crimes” is up to 29 lashes.
Criminalized cuddling
Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia where local sharia courts are allowed to mete out justice.
Public cuddling is a crime under Aceh’s extremely conservative laws, based on a strict regional interpretation of sharia.
Hundreds of people have been publicly caned since the punishment was introduced in Aceh in 2005.
ADVERTISEMENTSharia courts also consider lesbian, gay and bisexual relationships a serious crime.
Anybody caught having consensual gay sex is punished with 100 lashes, 100 months in jail or a fine of 1,000 grams of gold.
The area has been globally condemned for caning people found guilty of a range of offenses including gambling and drinking alcohol.
Women wearing tight clothes and people who skip Friday Muslim prayers are also punished.
The introduction of local sharia law was a concession made by the central government in 2001 as part of efforts to end a decades-long war for independence.
Last year authorities announced that unmarried couples will be banned from sitting at the same table in restaurants, cafes or coffee shops under a religious crackdown.
The local head of the Jufliwan Islamic police said the measure additionally forbids staff serving lone female customers after 9:00 p.m. if they are not accompanied by close male relatives.
In November a woman was caned for allegedly having sex outside marriage in the region while cheering crowds looked on.
The same thing had happened in September, as another woman was lead on stage to be publicly whipped.
The Truth Must be Told
Your contribution supports independent journalism
Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more.
Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible.
Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too.
Please contribute here.
or
Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.
ADVERTISEMENT
Quick note: We cannot do this without your support. Fact. Our work is made possible by you and only you. We receive no grants, government handouts, or major funding.Tech giants are shutting us down. You know this. Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Adsense, Pinterest permanently banned us. Facebook, Google search et al have shadow-banned, suspended and deleted us from your news feeds. They are disappearing us. But we are here.
Subscribe to Geller Report newsletter here— it’s free and it’s essential NOW when informed decision making and opinion is essential to America's survival. Share our posts on your social channels and with your email contacts. Fight the great fight.
Follow Pamela Geller on Gettr. I am there. click here.
Follow Pamela Geller on Trump's social media platform, Truth Social. It's open and free.
Remember, YOU make the work possible. If you can, please contribute to Geller Report.
Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spammy or unhelpful, click the ... symbol to the right of the comment to let us know. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.
