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Aceh authorities suspend caning of child rapist after he suffers severe bruising
Prosecutors said the convict was to be lashed 169 times after serving 180 days in prison.
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A convicted gambler is caned at Baitul Makmur Grand Mosque in Meulaboh, West Aceh regency, Aceh in this file photo. (JP/Hotli Simanjuntak)
The caning of a convicted child rapist in Aceh had to be suspended after he developed severe bruising on his back.
The man, 28-year-old Roni bin M. Hasan, had been declared guilty by a local court in May for raping a child in Banda Aceh. He was sentenced to 169 lashes of the cane for violating Article 50 of sharia-based Aceh’s Qanun Jinayat, an Islamic criminal code bylaw, on child rape.
Prosecutors said Roni was to be lashed after serving 180 days in prison.
The caning was carried out by a squad from the Banda Aceh Prosecutors’ Office at Bustanussalatin Park on Thursday. After the 52nd stroke, however, Roni began begging for the caning officer to stop.
Read also: Indonesian women whipped for online pimping
A team of doctors overseeing the caning proceeded to examine him and told authorities that the convict's wounds were severe and the punishment needed to be suspended.
“We checked him and there were severe lashings on his back. If we continue the execution, he could bleed. We suggest that the punishment be suspended until his wounds are fully recovered,” Sarah, a member of the medical team, said as reported by kompas.com.
Besides Roni, five other people found guilty of gambling were caned that day. Their punishment varied from six to nine lashes.
Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia that implements the sharia law devised under its special regional autonomy. The administration of the westernmost part of the country has fully enforced the stricter Qanun Jinayat since 2015.
Public and activists have widely criticized the sharia-based bylaw, specifically canning as a punishment, for inflicting pain and public shaming, as well as discriminating against minorities. (dpk)
