Gay men sentenced to public caning by Sharia court

Two gay men paid the price of living in a conservative society as a Sharia court in Indonesia sentenced them to public caning on Wednesday.

The men, 20 and 23, were arrested in March by vigilantes for violating Aceh's strict Islamic laws and sentenced to 85 lashes.

Khairil Jamal, the lead judge, said that "the court has proven that the defendants, without a doubt, are legally guilty of committing sodomy." He further added, "No evidence was found to justify and forgive them. Therefore, they shall be punished accordingly."

CNN reported that the men were filmed naked in their apartment after neighbours barged inside. Subsequently, the videos were shared widely in local media.

Evendi, the head of Sharia law enforcement in Banda Aceh told CNN that the public caning will be done "in one of the mosques in Banda Aceh."

-ANI