Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Two men were publicly caned in Indonesia Tuesday for kissing in a park.
In the city of Banda Aceh, the two men, ages 20 and 21, were convicted of "having consensual same-sex relations," because they kissed and hugged in a Taman Sari Park bathroom on June 16. A panel of judges at the Banda Aceh Sharia Court had found them guilty of violating the Islamic Criminal Code, according to Amnesty International.
The men were held in custody during the trial, which took place behind closed doors.
While these men were sentenced to 76 strikes with canes, sometimes the courts can sentence people to up to 200 lashes. Those crimes include having consensual intimacy or sexual activity for unmarried couples, consensual sex outside marriage, same-sex sexual relations, consumption or sale of alcohol, and gambling.
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