Saudi Arabia's Floggings: 10 Questions

We look at Saudi Arabia's controversial use of flogging after British grandfather Karl Andree was sentenced to 350 lashes for carrying home-made wine.

:: How often are people flogged in Saudi Arabia?

It is not clear how common cases like that of Mr Andree are . Most sentences are not publicly reported, but activists say floggings and executions are widespread - and in rare cases amputations are used as a form of punishment.

:: How do floggings take place?

There are no formal procedures. A prisoner either kneels or lies face down on the ground. Lashes are applied to any part of the body from neck to ankles. It is fast - up to four strokes per second.

:: What is used to carry out the floggings?

Human Rights Watch reports lashing is generally carried out with a light wooden cane, and it is thought whips or leather straps are also used.

:: Where do floggings take place?

Generally they are done privately in prison but occasionally in public. Human Rights Watch has documented a case outside Juffali Mosque in Jeddah, where witnesses described a flogging carried out in front of a large gathering of people who had circled around the prisoner.

:: What crimes are people flogged for?

It is a large list. Examples include: spending time with the opposite sex; adultery; being gay; human rights advocacy; and being in possession of alcohol.

:: What is the average sentence?

It varies. Often hundreds, up to a couple of thousand lashes, imposed in weekly sessions of about 50 until the full sentence has been served.

:: What if something goes wrong?

Saudi officials have told the United Nations that flogging is "administered under full medical, judicial and administrative supervision". Amnesty International rejects this and says floggings do often cause injury to the recipient.

:: What are the rules governing the consumption of alcohol by expats?

In practice, many expats drink in their own homes. However, the UK Foreign Office website warns that legal penalties for possessing alcohol in Saudi Arabia are "severe" and states the British Consul cannot "save UK nationals from the consequences of their own actions".

:: What kind of legal system does the country have?

Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy and with a legal system strongly influenced by an ultra-conservative version of Islamic law.

:: How does Saudi Arabia justify its use of corporal punishment?

Saudi officials, forced to respond to UN allegations of torture, have justified the practice by stating "the Koran sets out specific sanctions such as amputation, flogging and stoning, for certain crimes".