In the conservative Aceh province of Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim majority country, a number of unmarried couples were whipped for holding hands, cuddling, and in some cases, having sex, as such amorous behaviour is considered a crime under the archaic Islamic law of the province.

Outside a mosque in the provincial capital Banda Aceh, the five unmarried couples received between 4 and 22 strikes from a rattan cane by masked sharia officers, as hundreds of spectators, including children, watched them wince in pain. “This law is designed to have a deterrent effect, not only for the offenders but for the spectators who watch the caning. The pain of being flogged is not that bad, the embarrassment is worse,” an Indonesian official said.

Even though Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has condemned the inhuman act and asked for a stop, the practice, which is based on a strict regional interpretation of Sharia, has wide support among Aceh’s five million Muslims. Human Rights groups have called out the act for being ruthless and barbaric.