Indonesia's Aceh considers beheading as penalty for murder

BANDA ACEH, Indonesia – The conservative Indonesian province of Aceh known for publicly caning gays, adulterers and gamblers is considering the introduction of beheading as a punishment for murder.

The head of Aceh's Shariah Law and Human Rights Office, Syukri M. Yusuf, said Wednesday the provincial government has asked his office to research beheading as a method of execution in Islamic law.

He told reporters, "We would begin to draft the law when our academic research is completed."

Yusuf said if Shariah law is consistently applied, then crime, particularly murder, will decrease significantly or disappear.

Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia to practice Shariah law, a concession made by the central government to end a long-running war for independence.