Caning of two women in Aceh condemned<\/p>\n
A leading human rights group on Sunday condemned as \"insane\" an
\nIslamic court's caning of two unmarried couples in Aceh province
\nfor drinking alcohol and being alone together after dark.<\/p>\n
They were the latest Aceh residents to fall foul of new
\nregulations that give the staunchly Muslim province the right to
\nimpose a version of Islamic sharia law.<\/p>\n
The women fainted after being beaten 40 times on Friday
\noutside a mosque in Central Aceh, witnesses said. They were taken
\nto a hospital, but had no serious injuries.<\/p>\n
\"We protest this insane sentence, and it should be reviewed by
\nthe Supreme Court,\" said Ifdhal Kasim of the rights organization
\nElsham. \"It violates Indonesia's constitution that outlaws
\ncorporal punishment, torture and humiliation (of prisoners).\"<\/p>\n
The four were arrested late at night last month and found
\nguilty by an Islamic court of violating laws prohibiting the
\nconsumption of alcohol and unmarried couples being together in
\nprivate places. It was not clear where they were detained.<\/p>\n
The latter law is aimed at preventing premarital sex, seen as
\nsin in Islam.<\/p>\n
Aceh is the only province Indonesia that has implemented
\nsharia.<\/p>\n
The region was granted special autonomy in 2001 from the
\ncentral government because of a long-running separatist war. In
\nAugust, the government and the Free Aceh Movement signed a peace
\nagreement in Helsinki, Finland, to end three decades of fighting
\nsince 1976.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, has a
\npolicy of secularism. Attempts by religious hard-liners to have
\nIslamic law -- including corporal punishment -- adopted
\nnationally have failed.<\/p>\n
The first caning in Aceh occurred in June, with the flogging
\nof 15 men convicted of gambling. --AP<\/p>",
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