Malaysia caned three women after they were convicted for adultery under Islamic law, the first time that punishment has been handed out inside the country.

In August, a similar sentence against a Muslim woman caught drinking was deferred amid complaints that Shariah courts had overstepped the mark. That punishment is still pending.

Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein said he wanted to publicize the case of the three women, who also received short jail terms, because of “too much hype” over the earlier case.

“People are saying that no woman has been caned before. . . today I am announcing that we have already done it,” he told a news conference.

The women didn’t suffer any cuts or bruises from the caning and had “repented” for their offenses, he said. Four men were also convicted of “illicit sex” and sentenced to whipping.

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