BANDA ACEH • An Indonesian man working for a group which helped draft strict religious laws ordering adulterers to be flogged was himself publicly whipped after he was caught having an affair with a married woman.

Flogging is a common punishment for a range of offences in deeply conservative Aceh, including adultery, drinking alcohol, and having gay or premarital sex.

Aceh is the only region in the world's biggest Muslim-majority nation that imposes Islamic law, part of a 2005 autonomy deal with the central government that ended a separatist insurgency.

Last Thursday, a masked religious officer rained down 28 lashes on the back of Aceh Ulema Council member Mukhlis after he was caught canoodling with a married woman last month.

Mukhlis, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, grimaced and flinched during the punishment in the provincial capital Banda Aceh, before his married companion was flogged 23 times with a rattan cane.

The group that Mukhlis works for advised the local government and legislature on drafting and implementing Aceh's religious law, including public flogging.

The council made headlines earlier this year when it hit out at plans to form a national women's football league because Aceh did not have a special stadium where only women players, match officials and spectators would be present.

In June, it issued a fatwa, or religious edict, against online game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, saying it insulted Islam and made addicted players violent.

Flogging a council member underlined the commitment to enforcing Islamic law, said Aceh Besar deputy regent Husaini Wahab.

"No matter who you are... if you violate (Islamic) law you will be whipped," he said after the punishment, adding that Mukhlis would likely be sacked under his employer's moral code.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE