A woman kneels and grimaces as she is lashed with a cane for having unmarried sex in an Indonesian province which is ruled under Sharia law in newly released photographs.

The images show women dressed in white and sitting with their heads bowed as they wait their turn to be punished in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

In one photo, a woman can be seen kneeling on a red platform as her back is whipped with a cane in front of guards and members of the public.

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Punishment: Pictures have emerged of a woman being whipped in a square in Banda Aceh, Indonesia

An Indonesian Sharia policeman whips a woman arrested for having unmarried sex during a public caning ceremony outside a mosque in Banda Aceh

Indonesian women are shown waiting their turn to be whipped in front of a baying crowd - for having unmarried sex

The woman was pictured being led on to the platform by guards before she was given her punishment

Aceh is the only province in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country that is allowed to implement Islamic Sharia law.

Although public whipping is a common punishment in the province, it is rare for women to be caned.

Further images show men also being punished after being accused of violating Sharia law.

Three women and 14 men arrested for sexual offences and gambling were caned in front of a mosque following Friday prayer.

Gay sex, gambling and drinking alcohol are already punishable by caning in Aceh which began implementing Sharia law after being granted special autonomy in 2001, an effort by the central government in Jakarta to quell a long-running separatist insurgency.

Further images show men also being punished after being accused of violating Sharia law

Aceh is the only province in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country that is allowed to implement Islamic Sharia law

A man dressed in white bows his head as he prepares to be whipped for breaking Sharia laws. Although public whipping is a common punishment in the province, it is rare for women to be caned

A flurry of new Islamic laws have been introduced in Aceh in recent years, drawing howls of protest from rights groups

A flurry of new Islamic laws have been introduced in Aceh in recent years, drawing howls of protest from rights groups.

Earlier this year, Banda Aceh banned women from entertainment venues after 11pm unless they are accompanied by a husband or male family member. Aceh district has also banned unmarried men and women from riding together on motorbikes.

More than 90 percent of Indonesians describe themselves as Muslim, but the vast majority practise a moderate form of the faith.

Three women and 14 men arrested for sexual offences and gambling were caned in front of a mosque following Friday prayer

A flurry of new Islamic laws have been introduced in Aceh in recent years, drawing howls of protest from rights groups

A Sharia policeman takes aim as a man is whipped in front of a baying crowd (left) while a woman kneels as she is lashed with a cane

In June, pictures emerged of three couples being publicly caned after the unmarried university students were caught spending time alone together.

On that occasion, a crowd of about a thousand spectators shouted as the three men and three women, aged between 18 and 23, were lashed several times each with a rattan cane in a square in Banda Aceh.

A fourth woman, aged in her 40s, was also publicly caned for committing adultery. One of the women fainted after being caned four times and had to be carried off by officials.

Brital: A total of 14 men were punished in front of a mosque following Friday prayer

A man winces with pain as he he repeatedly whipped in front of members of the public today