European print of corporal punishment by bastinado in Qing China.

European print of corporal punishment by bastinado in Qing China.

Foot whipping, variously known as bastinado, falanga (phalanga), and falaka (falaqa), is a form of corporal punishment whereby the soles of the feet are beaten with an object such as a cane or rod, a club, a piece of wood, a stout leather bullwhip, or a flexible bat of heavy rubber. It is also sometimes favoured as a form of torture because, although extremely painful, it leaves few physical marks. The prisoner may be immobilised before application of the beating by tying, securing the feet in stocks, locking the legs into an elevated position, or hanging upside-down. The Persian term falaka referred to a wooden plank which was used to secure the feet prior to beating. This punishment has, at various times, been used in China, as well as the Middle East. It was used throughout the Ottoman Empire.

Album / Pictures From History/Universal Images Group

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5000 x 3574 px | 51.1 MB

42.3 x 30.3 cm | 16.7 x 11.9 in (300 dpi)