Strapped on a wooden frame, a prisoner braces himself for the brutal onslaught. Within moments of the first blow being struck by the cane-wielding official, the skin on his buttocks breaks and the raw wound begins to open. Lash after lash after lash follows until his flesh is reduced to a bloody mess. With each blow, the body flinches and there is a cry. The caning was meted out in a jail in Malaysia, where the authorities insist that it is a legitimate punishment. However, a video of the flogging has caused an outcry after it was posted on the...