A young couple in Indonesia was publicly caned Thursday after allegedly kissing during a TikTok livestream.

The couple — a 22-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman — each received 21 lashes, according to The Associated Press.

They were reportedly convicted of violating local morality laws under an Islamic Sharia court in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province. 

The pair, who were detained in March, had already spent four months in prison prior to the punishment, which ultimately reduced their sentence from 25 lashes to 21, the AP said. 

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According to local authorities, the couple filmed a TikTok video inside a car one night in March.

As the video went viral, they were subsequently apprehended for what officials described as an “immoral act.” 

“Their actions were uncovered thanks to reports from residents who were disturbed by their immoral livestream content,” Sharia police said in April. 

“The trigger was their livestream on TikTok while engaging in immoral acts in the car,” Head of the Sharia Police Muhammad Rizal added in his statement. “This sparked criticism from netizens and local residents, who then reported them to the authorities.”

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The court also confiscated a cellphone and a USB flash drive containing the TikTok video, which authorities promised to destroy, according to the AP.

A Banda Aceh resident who attended the caning, 22-year-old Aini Nadhirah, said she believed the punishment was “entirely justified.”

“In my opinion, this caning is entirely justified because it serves as a warning to other Aceh residents to be more careful when using social media,” Nadhirah said, according to the AP.

“It also raises awareness that such actions are unacceptable, thereby educating the public.”

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Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia that enforces its own Islamic Criminal Code governing moral conduct. 

The province’s right to implement Islamic law was granted by Indonesia’s secular central government around 2005 as part of a peace deal to end a separatist insurgency. The policy was later expanded to apply to non-Muslims. 

Under the law, moral offenses — including adultery and same-sex relations — can carry penalties of up to 100 lashes. Caning is also used for individuals accused of gambling, drinking, adultery and premarital intimacy. 

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Public caning in Aceh has long drawn criticism from human rights groups, including Amnesty International Indonesia, which has called the practice cruel and degrading.

Despite Indonesia having ratified international conventions prohibiting cruel punishment, authorities in Aceh defend the practice, arguing it does not fall under such a definition. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Published on
03/07/2026 – 9:00 GMT+2

This week, The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched a fresh wave of raids across France, Spain, Italy and Belgium. They are digging into the 4.3 million euros of EU funds allegedly misused by the European Parliament’s Identity and Democracy group between 2019-2024. What’s going on?

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The prosecutors are scrutinising whether the party breached public tender rules when awarding public contracts and issued irregular donations using those taxpayer funds.

Importantly, that political group is dead. It has been rebranded into the new “Patriots for Europe” coalition, led by the rising star Jordan Bardella. They are currently the third-largest force in the European Parliament.

It seems like the name on the office door has changed, but the paper trail remains. And the European prosecutors are conducting searches at the offices and homes of communication providers tied to that old group.

Last year when the investigation was announced, Bardella claimed it was “a new harassment operation.”

At the same time, the timing for the National Rally, so Bardella’s party, could not be more brutal.

Next week, Marine Le Pen discovers if a Paris court will uphold a five-year ban from public office on allegations of, well, embezzling public funds. If she is out, Bardella is the designated successor.

Will the National Rally maintain its political momentum? After all, the party relies on its image as the “voice of the people” against a distant Brussels elite.

Watch the Euronews video in the player above for the full story.