Eight men were brutally caned in front of about 1,000 people inside a mosque compound in Indonesia after breaking strict Sharia laws on gambling.
A state prosecutor, in the conservative Aceh Province, on the north-western tip of Sumatra, read out the men’s punishment before a masked man wearing brown robes stepped forward.
Using a thin bamboo-like rattan cane, he then whipped them over their backs five times each.
The eight men were caned in front of about 1,000 people after breaking strict Sharia laws on gambling
The men were each whipped five times on the back with a rattan cane – similar to bamboo – in a mosque compound in Aceh province, Indonesia
The punishment was dealt by a masked man wearing brown robes, who stepped forward after a state prosecutor read out the men’s crimes
The mosque was filled with people as the punishment followed Friday morning prayers.
Men can be seen filming and taking photos of the incident on smartphones as the victims tense up and grimace from the pain.
The public caning followed nine arrests for gambling in July. The police seized a total of about £80 cash from the men.
One of the men could not be caned because of his health but will face his punishment once he has recovered, state prosecutor Nurhalma, who uses a single name, said.
He said each of the convicts should be whipped eight times but their punishments were reduced.
Illiza Saaduddin Djamal, the mayor of Banda Aceh, said it was the seventh public caning of people who broke Sharia law since it was enforced in the provincial capital, Banda Aceh, 12 years ago.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has a policy of secularism but allows Aceh to follow a version of the Islamic law which forbids gambling.
The public caning followed nine arrests for gambling in July. The police seized a total of about £80 cash from the men
One of the men could not be caned because of his health but will face his punishment once he has recovered, the state prosecutor said
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Source: Dailymail