Reuters, 12 November 1998

Yemeni Man Flogged for Selling, Drinking Alcohol

Ahmad Mohammad Abdu received 80 lashes in front of the court building in Aden on Sunday as a large group of citizens looked on, said the weekly as-Sahwa, the mouthpiece of Yemen's Islamist opposition party Islah.

The man was also fined 2,000 rials ($15) and sentenced to two months in jail after the flogging.

Residents said such punishment was extremely rare in Yemen, which applies sharia law alongside civilian laws but is considered less conservative than other Arab and Moslem states in the region. Aden has historically been one of Yemen's less conservative areas.

Alcohol is generally prohibited in Yemen, but allowed in some restaurants in Aden. In first class hotels in Sanaa, alcohol consumption is restricted to foreigners.