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Men Caught Having Gay Sex Face 100 Lashes In Indonesia

Aceh is the only province in the country governed by Sharia law.

Two men caught having sex in Indonesia may receive 100 lashes each if found guilty of violating strict moral codes.

CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP/Getty Images

An Acehnese man convicted for "immoral acts" is lashed by a hooded local government officer during a public caning at a square in Banda Aceh, Aceh province, on June 12, 2015. AFP PHOTO / Chaideer MAHYUDDIN (Photo credit should read CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP/Getty Images)

The men, ages 23 and 20, were caught March 28 in a rented room in Aceh, and confessed to being a couple. Video of their capture has gone viral, and depicts one of the men, naked and terrified, calling his family for help. “We are being held here in Unsyiah, uncle,” he says, referencing Syiah Kuala University.

Aceh has been governed by Sharia law since 2001, when the government granted the province autonomy in hopes of quelling the long-running separatist insurgency in the region. Though homosexuality is not a crime in the rest of Indonesia, Aceh's anti-gay law was implemented in 2015.

Jefta Images / Barcroft Media / Barcroft Media via Getty Images

ACEH, INDONESIA - FEBRUARY 12: The injureies of a whipped person are treated with salve during the whipping punishment in front of public at Meulaboh on February 12, 2016 in West Aceh, Indonesia. About 32 men in Aceh were publicly whipped on Friday as punishment for gambling, a violation of Islamic Sharia law as practiced in Indonesia's semi-autonomous province of Aceh on Sumatra Island.PHOTOGRAPH BY Jefta Images / Barcroft MediaUK Office, London.T +44 845 370 2233W www.barcroftmedia.comUSA Office, New York City.T +1 212 796 2458W www.barcroftusa.comIndian Office, Delhi.T +91 11 4053 2429W www.barcroftindia.com (Photo credit should read Jefta Images / Barcroft Media / Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

Up to 100 lashes are allowed for a variety of offenses, including gambling, drinking alcohol, wearing of tight clothes by women, men skipping Friday prayer services, and even cockfighting. The canings are carried out by hooded officers in the public square, and are usually well-attended.

More than 90% of Indonesia's 255 million citizens identify as Muslim, but the country has generally been considered more moderate than other Islamic nations.

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