
This is the moment three young couples were savagely whipped in public - after they violated Sharia law by going on dates.

Harrowing pictures show one woman crying out as she is repeatedly lashed with a cane at Al Furqon Mosque in the city of Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

Separate images show a man standing as he received the same brutal punishment.

Harrowing pictures show one woman crying out as she is repeatedly lashed with a cane at Al Furqon Mosque in the city of Banda Aceh, Indonesia

Brutal: Separate images show a man standing as he received the same brutal punishment having been caught dating

Pictures show three young couples being savagely whipped in public - after they violated Sharia law by dating before marriage

In total, three Acehnese couples were sentenced to receive public lashes for violating Sharia law in a brutal new crackdown in the region

In total, three Acehnese couples were sentenced to receive public lashes for violating Sharia law in a brutal new crackdown in the region.

Under the law men and women, who are not spouses, are not allowed to get too close due to the 'khalwat' offence - and punishment is by public caning.

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

In September, pictures emerged of a woman being caned after she was accused of having sex while unmarried.

Under the law men and women, who are not spouses, are not allowed to get too close due to the 'khalwat' offence - and punishment is by public caning

Gay sex, gambling and drinking alcohol are all 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

A woman cries out in agony as she is caned in public by a religious officer outside a mosque in the Banda Aceh province

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

Gay sex, gambling and drinking alcohol are all 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.

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.

A religious officer canes an Acehnese youth onstage as punishment for dating outside of marriage, which is against sharia law

A young woman is forced to kneel before a religious officer repeatedly lashes her with a long cane in a public punishment for dating

A large crowd gathered to watch religious officers deliver the sentence of lashes. Aceh has become increasingly conservative in recent years and is the only one in Indonesia implementing Sharia law



