An Indonesian court issued a caning order for a convicted gambler, who received five lashes of the cane for placing bets online.
The gambler, identified by the court by his initials RM, received his punishment in the courtyard of the Pidie Jaya District Attorney’s Office in Aceh Province, the Indonesian media outlet Aceh Online reported.
“The implementation of this caning punishment will serve as a deterrent to [gambling] perpetrators and the people of [Aceh],” said a Meureudu Sharia Court official. “It will minimize violations of Islamic law.”
Indonesian Caning Order for Gambling Convict
The court had originally sentenced RM to 10 lashes, but later decided to reduce its sentence as the man had served 124 days in jail for his crimes.
The court did not reveal how much money the man had bet online.
A judge said that gambling activities, especially online betting, are becoming “increasingly widespread in society.”
“Online gambling is becoming increasingly rampant, especially among young people,” said the judge. “This is detrimental to the younger generation. Many people cannot resist the allure of fast money. This leads them to abandon their jobs and other productive activities.”
Special Legal Status
Aceh, in the far west of Indonesia, has special autonomous status and operates under sharia law.
This means that the province’s criminal laws allow courts to sentence offenders to strokes of the cane for certain moral or religious violations.
These include gambling, as well as extra-marital relations, homosexuality, and the consumption of alcohol.
Canings are carried out in public spaces, often near mosques before or after Friday prayers. Strokes are administered by officials known as algojo.
Algojo typically wear distinctive uniforms that cover their entire faces and bodies during canings, with only spaces cut out for the eyes. This, courts believe, helps ensure anonymity and prevent revenge attacks.
In January this year, a 21-year-old woman was hospitalized in Aceh after a court ordered three female algojo to strike her a record 140 times.
A court convicted her of having sex outside marriage and drinking alcohol. The court ordered canings for four others, including a serving police officer.
Last year, courts in the city of Langsa ordered the caning of four convicted male gamblers, aged between 18 and 41, between 10 and 12 times.
“The [algojo] carried out the canings effectively,” a city public order official said. “Hopefully, this will serve as a lesson for all the people of Langsa.”
All forms of gambling are illegal throughout Indonesia. As part of a government crackdown on online betting, the state has suspended or canceled thousands of welfare payments to low-income families.
