This is a story of disgusting piss drinking, stinking unwashed bodies, and week-long forced public humiliation of a group of people running amiss of the law. You have been warned.
"We have begun our decent towards Palm International Airport. Please make sure your seat belt is securely fastened, that your seat is in the upright position, and that your table is securely stowed."
Palm was one of the new small Mediterranean island states, formed after the events of '25. It's economy was mainly based on tourism, with the southeastern side of the island being a permanent beach party for the young and beautiful, while a more mature and sedate customer base frequented the northwest, famous for both culture and nature. Very few tourists were willing to admit - even to themselves - that they also came due to the unique way Palm was punishing its criminals. Petty crimes, such as speeding or picking pockets, usually resulted in the perpetrator being marched naked up and down the streets for a day or two. More serious crimes were punished in longer and more humiliating ways.
The European Human Right's Court has condemned the penal code of Palm, to no avail. And when the daughter of the US ambassador was found guilty of fraud and convicted to 72 hours of non-stop public groping, a minor international crisis resulted. It was, however, difficult for the US to do much about it, in particular since the ambassador, his wife and his daughter had jointly published a video just one week prior, where they praised the Palm penal code and suggested that similar laws be passed in the US.
Some have speculated that fear of being punished in such barbaric ways would scare away tourists. It probably did, but it attracted more people than it repelled.
John did not mind admitting that he hoped to see a bunch of naked women marched down the main street. And hopefully he would witness a major public punishment. He had masturbated more than once to the internet video of the French Women's Football Team being forced to rape each other with strap-on dildos. They had partied so hard that they not only trashed their hotel, they had actually burned it down.
John was 21 years old, and going to the party side of the island for a week of drinking, partying, frolicking on the beaches, and watching naked women being humiliated. He would be careful not to run afoul of the law himself, he would be discreet when smoking his weed, and would not sell any of it, only give it to friends he expected to make during the week. He had been very careful when packing, the weed was in a well-camouflaged and completely airtight container, he was not taking any unnecessary risks!
John felt elated when he exited the plane. His red suitcase soon appeared on the carousel, and he walked through customs.
"Sir! You with the red suitcase. Please step over here." The otherwise sleepy-looking customs officer was calling him over.
"Can we see your suitcase. Do you have anything illegal in it?"
"Sure. And no, I don't."
"Do you smoke weed?"
Why is he asking that, John thought. He was getting ever so slightly worried.
"Occasionally at home. Never when traveling," he said, deciding that in the unlikely case a drug dog had smelled anything he would do better with a rational explanation. But that should not be possible, the container was really sealed.
"Let's hope that is what our dog smelled. Please open the suitcase."
John complied, and the customs officer began poking at his belonging with a weird white stick. It beeped. He pulled our a can.
"Olivia's Olives," he read aloud from the label. "Either you were smoking when you packed this, or there are no olives in the can."
John's heart sank as the customs officer produced a can opener, and opened his can of weed.
"This, young man, is enough weed to charge you not just with possession, but with intent to distribute a controlled substance. You are under arrest. Anything you say may be used against you, and you have the right to remain silent. You have the right to a lawyer, and to be presented in front of a judge within 24 hours. I suggest you come along peacefully, if you resist or attempt to escape, we will handcuff you and charge you with resisting arrest."
Four hours later John had been checked into the local jail, and was meeting with a lawyer. The lawyer explained that possession with intend to distribute was sufficiently serious that he was facing not only public sexual humiliation, but also nine to fifteen months of jail time. John cried, and explained how he only intended to hand out weed to friends, not to sell it. The lawyer would try to sell that as a mitigating circumstance, but he was not too optimistic. If he was really lucky, he would get away with a third degree sexual humiliation sentence.
And that was what happened. The next morning he was presented before a judge. His lawyer did a good job convincing the court that John had no intention of selling the weed, and since the amount was not that large, the judge accepted it. He was convicted to third degree humiliation, and all his luggage was impounded.
A first degree sentence meant being walked naked through busy streets for one or two days. Second degree was more creative humiliation for three or four days. Third degree meant one to three weeks of public sexual humiliation. And part of the punishment was that he would neither be informed exactly what would be done to him, nor for how long.
John was taken to a cell, where he had to spend three days until the punishment would begin - third degree humiliations were not held every day. He was dressed in a yellow rough jumpsuit, and his only entertainment were some not very good novels from the jail library. The food was bad, but not as bad as he had expected, and there was enough of it. To be honest, the canteen at his work had served worse on occasion.
On the night of the third day he was informed that the punishment would begin the next morning. He was woken up at six thirty, had a solid breakfast, and at half past seven he was led into the prison courtyard with a bunch of fellow prisoners, and told to strip. He stripped, and looked at his fellow convicts.
They were six men and eight women. Most of the men were in their twenties, but one looked like he was around sixty. Most of the women were young, too, but two looked like they were in their fifties, and one in her thirties.
They were all fitted with metal yokes around their necks and wrists, holding their arms out to the sides. Then they were placed in a long line, mostly alternating men and women, and chained together. Two chains from the ends his the yoke tied it to the yoke of the young woman in front of him, and two chains to the yoke of the middle-aged woman behind him.