Authorities in Malaysia’s north-eastern state of Terengganu on Monday caned two women for attempting to have sex. The two women were subjected to six strokes of a cane following a ruling by a Sharia court, and were fined RM 3,300 (Rs 56,834).

The women, aged 22 and 32, were caned in the Sharia courtroom in Terengganu around 10 am local time (7.30 am Indian Standard Time), The Guardian reported. Around 100 people witnessed the event.

Sharia law enforcement officers found the women attempting to engage in sexual acts in a car in April. A Sharia court fined them on August 12, following which they pleaded guilty to having sexual relations.

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Judge Kamalruazmi Ismail claimed that the sentence “is a lesson, a reminder and deterrent to the offenders and society” not to repeat the offence, Star Online reported. “Do not look down on the two women offenders as when they accepted the punishment, it meant they were repentant about their wrongdoing,” he added.

Human rights groups express outrage

Human rights groups said it was the first time women have been caned in Malaysia for engaging in homosexual relations. “The punishment was shocking and it was a spectacle,” Thilaga Sulathireh, an activist from the Malaysian rights group Justice for Sisters told The Guardian. “This case shows a regression for human rights. Not only for LGBT people but all persons because corporal punishment affects all people.”

Amnesty International called the caning “a terrible day” for human rights. “The caning of the two women is a dreadful reminder of the depth of discrimination and criminalisation that LGBTI people face in the country,” the non-governmental organisation said. “It’s a sign that the new government condones the use of measures that amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment, much like its predecessor.”