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Rape victim facing possible caning in Aceh

May 09, 2014

A woman is arrested by sharia police for inappropriate clothing Wednesday (May 7th) in Banda Aceh. Activists are criticising a Sharia enforcement official for saying a gang-rape victim should be caned for adultery. [Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP]

A woman is arrested by sharia police for inappropriate clothing Wednesday (May 7th) in Banda Aceh. Activists are criticising a Sharia enforcement official for saying a gang-rape victim should be caned for adultery. [Chaideer Mahyuddin/AFP]

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia – Women's rights activists in Aceh are criticising Langsa officials who said a woman reportedly gang raped by a vigilante group should be caned for having an alleged extramarital affair, local media reported.

"Instead of protecting the victim of this heinous crime, the authorities want to have her caned," Nursiti, head of women's empowerment group Ureueng Inong Aceh, told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday (May 7th). "What kind of government is this that won't protect its citizens?"

Ibrahim Latif, head of the Langsa sharia office, said Tuesday that the 25-year-old woman and her 40-year-old married companion should be caned for having an affair even after they were both assaulted by eight men May 1st. The men then raped the woman.

The couple face up to nine lashes each. The alleged attackers are not subject to caning as Aceh does not have a qanun (bylaw) on rape, according to The Jakarta Post. Police have arrested three, including a 13-year old, but the other five remain at large.

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