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Summary: Zimbabwe boy was convicted of 'criminal insult' and sentenced to two strokes of a cane for posting a photograph of a woman on Facebook and calling her a prostitute.
[20 February 2012] - A Zimbabwe teenager has been sentenced to caning as physical punishment for a rude Facebook post, an African court ruled. The 17-year-old reportedly took a photo of a woman with his cell phone camera, posted it on the social networking website and called her a prostitute in the caption, according to The Herald Newspaper. The woman, who did not know she was photographed but is a Facebook friend of the boy, saw the post online and called the police. A local radio station said the boy begged the judge for leniency, saying that he was an orphan and the breadwinner in his family, ABC News reported. He also explained that he was new to Facebook. The reason for the insult has not yet been reported. The boy, whose Facebook page has since been removed, was convicted of "criminal insult" and will receive two strokes of a cane, according to The Herald. Caning is an accepted form of punishment in Zimbabwe, especially for children, and is often used as a discipline method in schools. This is the first case of someone in the nation being sentenced because of a Facebook-related matter, ABC News reported. Further Information: