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he Takengon Prosecutor’s Office in Central Aceh regency, Aceh, caned on Tuesday a 60-year-old woman, Remita Sinaga, alias Mak Ucok, for violating sharia by storing and selling alcohol.

She was the first non-Muslim to be subjected to the punishment in Aceh.

“Although a non-Muslim, she must comply with the qanun [Islamic bylaw]. She violated the qanun by storing and distributing liquor,” said Takengon Prosecutor’s Office intelligence division head Lili Suparli.

Remita was initially to receive 30 lashes, which was later reduced to 28 along with her period of detention, for violating Qanun No. 6/2014 of the Jinayat Islamic Criminal Code.

Four others were also caned: Celala village administration chief Umardi bin M. Yusuf, 42, who received 100 strokes for committing adultery with Fatima binti Umar, 30, who also received 100 stokes, and Sarman bin Sukirno, 19, of Simpang Kelaping village and partner Nadia Shofia binti Warisi, 26, of Kyun Uken village in Central Aceh.

The other two offenders, Sarwan and Nadia, were initially handed nine strokes each but were instead given three after their detention was cut.

Lili said the convicts were given up to 100 strokes of the cane in accordance with Qanun No. 6/2014.

“Sarwan and Nadia received fewer stokes because they were penalized in accordance with Qanun No. 14/2003 before the enactment of the Jinayat in 2014. So their punishment was in accordance with when the crime took place,” said Lili.

Some spectators hooted when the convicts were being caned in the prosecutors office’s art hall compound.

Qanun No. 6/2014 on Jinayat is a version of Islamic criminal law that is broader and incorporates sharia.

The Jinayat has stipulations on a number of Islamic versions of vice, such as alcohol consumption, gambling, close proximity between males and females who are not muhrim (lawful spouse or male relative), extramarital sex, sexual harassment, rape, accusing others of adultery, sodomy and homosexual intercourse.

Those found guilty of the offenses are subject to punishment in the form of caning, fines, imprisonment and paying restitution. The number of strokes varies from 40 to 200 and the amount of fines from 40 to 2,000 grams of gold.

The law applies to Muslims and non-Muslims living in or visiting Aceh, which is the only province in the country to impose Islamic law.

The approval of the qanun sparked controversy, with some saying it should not apply to non-Muslim while others said it should not be discriminatory but apply to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Previously, after meeting a foreign ambassador in Jakarta, Governor Zaini Abdullah said non-Muslims would not be subjected to the qanun.

In its draft form, the bylaw also included stoning for adulterers. However, the article on stoning was removed from the draft bylaw after it was strongly criticized by human rights activists.

The implementation of Islamic law is one of the results of the 2005 Helsinki agreement to end a decades-long armed conflict between the Free Aceh Movement and the government.