
Women accused of being prostitutes and a man have been publicly caned in Indonesia's Aceh province – despite moves earlier this year for the punishments to be carried out in prison.

These pictures show the kneeling women and a man, who stood for his caning, grimacing in pain after being beaten for violations of the conservative state's strict Sharia code.

After being led out in front of a crowd at a stadium in the city of Lhokseumawe, the second largest city on Aceh, the two women and the man are hit several times by a masked man wielding a cane.

One of the woman kneels in front of a masked man wielding a cane in the city of Lhokseumawe, in Indonesia's Aceh province

The other woman accused of being a prostitute grimaces in pain after being beaten with a cane for violating Aceh's strict Islamic code

The woman cries out in pain after being hit by the cane. The practice of public caning began in 2016 in the conservative region of Indonesia

The man stands for his punishment, facing the crowd at the stadium. Public canings are usually attended by crowds of several hundred cheering people

The man's back, showing the lacerations from where he was hit several times with the cane. Public caning has continued despite moves by the local governor for the punishments to be carried out in prison

It is unclear what the man was accused of but pictures show the lacerations on his back from the impact of the cane.

Earlier this year a memorandum of understanding signed by Aceh Governor, Irwandi Yusuf and Yuspahruddin, head of the provincial Law and Human Rights office, was meant to end outdoor canings.

It stipulated that caning were only take place inside prisons or other places of detention.

Adults could still witness the punishment but recording would not be allowed and the numbers of people will be much smaller than the hundreds who regularly cheered the outdoor proceedings.

But the move to end public canings ran into opposition from hardline, Islamic Defender Front.

The group staged a public protest in front of the governor's office that turned violent and resulted several people being arrested by the police, Australia's ABC broadcaster reported,

The man being led out to be caned. The move to end outdoor canings led protests by local hardline Islamists, whose objections were backed by local MPs

One of the two women is held by female officials before she is caned. Many of those who have been publicly caned in Aceh have been women

With the masked man about to wield his cane, the woman kneels down in preparation for her beating

The two women officials help the woman, who is clearly in agony, to her feet after being caned. Aceh is the only province in Indonesia where public floggings take place

The woman finally makes it to her feet with the two officials still helping her to stand. The local government had been concerned the public canings would put off investors to the province

The other woman accused of being a prostitute holds her hand to her mouth after being caned

The local head of Islamic Defender Front, Muslim at-Tahiry, said: 'Based on Islamic law, the whip should be done in public, witnessed by the believers.

'That is to be a lesson for the perpetrators and the people who watch it. So they really should be embarrassed. This works as a deterrent.'

The local parliament has also rejected the new rule and filed a complaint to the Supreme Court in Jakarta.

'A special session of Aceh's parliament has officially decided that parliament will take legal action against the governor's decision and we will ask that the regulation be revoked,' MP Azhari Cage said.

Mr Cage said the parliament questioned the Aceh Provincial Government linking public canings with putting off investors and slow-down in investment in the province.

'Since the law has been in force, no society or investors have protested,' he said.

'We agree that investment in Aceh should be improved but it is related to government and community support, the availability of things like electricity. This has nothing to do with the flogging.'

Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia that practices Shariah law, a concession made by the central government in 2001 as part of efforts to end a decades-long war for independence.

Hundreds of people have been publicly caned since the punishment was introduced in Aceh in 2005.

What were meant to be the last public last canings took place in April when a group of amorous couples and alleged sex workers were publicly beaten for breaking Islamic law.