The Whipping Girl

Hundreds of people gathered outside a mosque in Indonesia to see a woman scream out in agony after being caned as a punishment for being in ‘close proximity’ to a man she wasn’t married to.

Nur Elita was marched to the yard of Baiturrahumim Mosque in Banda Aceh for violating the region’s strict Sharia laws, after she allegedly showed affectionate behaviour to a fellow university student.

Under the law men and women, who are not spouses, are not allowed to get too close due to the ‘khalwat’ offence and punishment is by public caning.

After being brought to the stage as the crowd cheered, the woman was forced to kneel down while a masked man repeatedly whipped her with the cane.

She received five lashes and at the end of the punishment could be seen lying on the floor doubled over in pain.

Eventually she was carried off the stage, into an ambulance, and had to be taken to hospital.

Also being caned was the man she was accused of getting too close to and he was forced to stand while being whipped.

Meanwhile four other men were also forced to endure the punishment for gambling, which is also outlawed under Sharia law.

According to the Jakarta Post, the caning ceremony was carried out in front of the deputy mayor of Banda Aceh Zainal Arifin.

And before the ceremony he warned the crowd that had gathered that the canings were a lesson to everyone.

He said: ‘Take these punishements as a lesson. What has been done by these convicts should not be taken as example.

‘And I hope their canings today will be the last ever.’

Banda Aceh is the only province in Indonesia to implement Sharia Law, which was first introduced in 2003 following the province’s awarding of special autonomy status.

[Editor’s Note: There are many dramatic photos of the caning at the original article link below.]