The punishment was in accordance with the Sharia law, which forbids having sex outside of wedlock and punishes all offenders publicly.

The woman was robed in white, had her face covered and then made to kneel on a stage where she was punished in front of a crowd. (Photo: AP)

Jakarta: A couple was given between 23 to 25 lashes each in public, with a cane for having sex before marriage in Indonesia. The woman was robed in white, had her face covered and then made to kneel on a stage where she was punished in front of a crowd.

The punishment was in accordance with the Sharia law, which forbids having sex outside of wedlock and punishes all offenders publicly.

According to a report in Daily Mail, the woman one among the four couples who were punished for the same crime. The sentence was carried out in Banda Aceh in Sumatra island, where the Sharia law is a part of the official legal system. The 25 lashes given to her, is the punishment for women who have sex before marriage.

The man was dressed in white too while he was being punished, but he was allowed to stand through it.

The Sharia law code states that the cane used for punishing the accused must be no thicker than the width of a small finger. As per the code, the punishment varies with the offence. Thieves have one hand removed, while adulterers are pelted with stones and blasphemers are whipped.