Two men receive public caning for engaging in sexual acts in Indonesia

Two men were publicly flogged 76 times each on Tuesday in Indonesia's Aceh province after a sharia court declared them guilty of engaging in sexual acts.

Aceh province is known for strictly following Islamic law and has previously issued several caning punishments over same-sex relationships.

Gay sex is illegal in Aceh; however, the law does not apply to the rest of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.

The two men, along with eight others, were publicly caned in an area where several people had gathered to watch the flogging. The court had ordered 80 lashes each, but the duo had already spent four months in prison, which reduced their punishment by four lashes.

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The two men were arrested in April after police found them kissing and hugging in a public bathroom, following a tip-off from a local resident who saw them enter together.

Others, including three women and five men, were also flogged after being found guilty of having sexual relations outside marriage. Some received caning for being in close proximity with the opposite gender, while others were punished for gambling.

Aceh province implemented stricter Islamic laws after gaining autonomy from Jakarta following a prolonged separatist movement.