
This is the moment criminals were beaten with a bamboo cane for violating sharia law in Aceh - Indonesia's only province which adheres to sharia law.

At least one woman and two men were brought to the stage in a town somewhere in Pidie Regency to receive their sentence which was carried out by a hooded figure.

Crowds could be seen gathered in the square to watch, with young boys among those witnessing the beating.

It is not known what these people did to earn their punishment, though beating is usually handed down for behavioural crimes - such as gay sex, sex outside marriage, or drinking alcohol.

While application varies across parts of the Muslim world that do practice sharia, typically the beatings are carried out in public, using a cane no wider than a finger, and with force that is not intended to leave a permanent mark.

This is the moment an Indonesian woman was beaten in public for violating sharia law in Aceh Province - the only place in the world's most populous Muslim nation to practice the punishment system

Crowds gathered to watch as the woman received her punishment, which was administered by a robed figure. Her precise crime is not known, but flagellation is usually carried out for behavioural crimes, such as drinking alcohol

Medical staff (left) are typically on hand as the sentence is carried out. The beatings are usually carried out with a cane no wider than a finger and with force not great enough to leave permanent scars

Children were among those who gathered in the town, located somewhere in Pidie Regency, to watch as the sentence was carried out on Friday. Others stood in the front row as the people were beaten

Sharia loosely translated means 'the way' and represents a set of rules governing all aspects of life for Muslims. It is the fourth section, criminal punishment, which is most controversial - both in Islam and in wider society (pictured, a woman is beaten)

Women are generally allowed to kneel during the beating, and the man carrying out the whipping sometimes puts a Koran under his arm to limit the strength of the blows

The woman is comforted by religious police who were on hand to watch the punishment carried out. Medical staff are also typically present to tend to wounds and provide reassurance

Two men were also marched out in front of the waiting crowds for their punishment wearing green tunics tied at the waist with a black ribbon

The children sat front and centre during this man's beating, though it is not known what crime he had committed

Flagellation is one of the more minor punishments under sharia, with amputations, beheadings and stonings proscribed for more serious offences such as blasphemy and adultery