Four men flogged publicly in Indonesia’s Aceh province for online gambling

Rajashree Seal January 31, 2025
Four men flogged publicly in Indonesia’s Aceh province for online gambling

Four men were publicly flogged in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province for engaging in online gambling, local officials confirmed. This was the first public lashing of the year under the strict Islamic law of Aceh province.

The men were caught red-handed gambling at an internet cafe, following which they were flogged in front of dozens of people at a public park in Banda Aceh city. While one received 22 lashes, the others received eight or nine, depending on the amount they had wagered and their income.

Speaking to news agency AFP, Islamic law enforcement chief, Roslina said, “One person received more lashes… because their wager and winnings exceeded the equivalent of two grammes of gold. Meanwhile, the other three… were below that threshold.”

Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, is the only region in the Muslim-majority nation where offences such as gambling, adultery, and alcohol consumption are punishable by public caning. The province was granted special autonomy in 2001, which allowed it to implement its interpretation of Sharia law.

The public flogging came after a series of cyber patrols aimed at curbing online gambling. In December, the Ministry of Communication reported action taken against over 72,000 gambling accounts.

Human rights groups have condemned public caning as a cruel practice, but it remains supported by many within Aceh. Last year, six men were publicly flogged for online gambling, and in 2021, two Christian men were punished for alcohol consumption and gambling. In the same year, a male couple received nearly 80 lashes each for engaging in gay sex, which is also outlawed under local law.

Sharia law enforcement continues to conduct public floggings, with Amnesty International reporting at least 60 such punishments against 254 people in 2020.

Gambling is illegal for both citizens and foreigners in Indonesia. The government has also implemented a monitoring system using artificial intelligence to detect and block gambling websites and applications.

From 2017 to January 21, 2025, the ministry has acted against 5,707,952 pieces of digital content related to online gambling. Earlier this month, Molly Prabawaty, acting general director of Public Communication and Media at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Technology (Komdigi), said that between January 1 and January 6, her ministry acted against 43,063 pieces of digital content related to online gambling.

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