In Islam, sexual relations outside of marriage are strictly prohibited and considered a major sin, known as "zina".
2 articlesIn Banda Aceh, a man and a woman convicted of adultery were caned 100 times each before a crowd that included children. It is the province's latest reminder that holding hands can be a punishable offence.
In March 2024, supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada pledged to flog and stone women in public. Rights groups now count 2,745 people subjected to corporal punishment between February 2022 and April 2026, and the U.N. says 2025 broke every previous record.
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