public lashes for violating Sharia law in a brutal new crackdown in the region

In total, three Acehnese couples were sentenced to receive public lashes for violating Sharia law in a brutal new crackdown in the region.

Under the law men and women, who are not spouses, are not allowed to get too close due to the 'khalwat' offence - and punishment is by public caning.

Aceh is the only province in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country that is allowed to implement Islamic Sharia law.

In September, pictures emerged of a woman being caned after she was accused of having sex while unmarried.

Under the law men and women, who are not spouses, are not allowed to get too close due to the 'khalwat' offence - and punishment is by public caning

Gaysex, gambling and drinking alcohol are all punishable by caning in Aceh which began implementing Sharia law after being granted special autonomy in 2001, an effort by the central government in Jakarta to quell a long-running separatist insurgency

A woman cries out in agony as she is caned in public by a religious officer outside a mosque in the Banda Aceh province

A flurry of new Islamic laws have been introduced in Aceh in recent years, drawing howls of protest from rights groups

Gay sex, gambling and drinking alcohol are all punishable by caning in Aceh which began implementing Sharia law after being granted special autonomy in 2001, an effort by the central government in Jakarta to quell a long-running separatist insurgency.

A flurry of new Islamic laws have been introduced in