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Torture

Page history last edited by Kori Atwood 15 years, 2 months ago

"Torture means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him of a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he of a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidation of coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity." Retrieved from http://www.irct.org/what-is-torture/defining-torture.aspx

 

The problem:

          Many of the people who are being tortured don't even deserve the right to be tortured. Anyone can be a victim of torture, children as well as adults, young or old, religious or atheist, intellectual or not. In many cases of torture the victims' family and friends are also affected. Many of the victims suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, which includes of flashbacks, severe anxiety, insomnia, nightmares, depression and memory lapses. Even though torture victims never do anything to get tortured, they often fell guilt and shame. Amnesty International estimates that at least 81 world governments currently practice torture.

          In the 21st century, torture was widely considered to be a violation of human rights, It is unacceptable by Article five of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article five states that "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment." People who are being tortured are all receiving cruel and inhuman or degrading treatment. These are not thing that you would do to everybody on a daily basics. Which is why the human rights are being violated.

 

Additional Information:

"The word 'torture' comes from the French torture, originating in the Late Latin tortura and ultimately deriving the past participle of torquere meaning 'to twist'." Retrieved form http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torture   

Despite worldwide condemnation and the existence of treaty provisions that forbid it, torture still occurs in two thirds of the world's nations. Police, military, paramilitary forces, and state-controlled contra-guerrilla forces are most likely the ones who are involved with torture cases.

 

Why torture occurs: 

A lot of torturing occurs during a time of war to a P.O.W. (Prisoner of War). They are tortured for knowledge based on the war so that they can know what their enemy is up to. Other torturing occurs to incarcerated inmates, part of this is a form of a sexual desire. Other forms of torture are for channeling negative emotions such as Rage, Humiliation, Pent up Aggression and Envy. That victim becomes the symbol for everything that is going wrong in the torturer's life.

 

Examples:

water-borading, slapping, burning, beating, dog attacks, electric shocks, sexual assaults, and humiliation. 

 

Jinzhou Prison, Located in China, has separate divisions used for torturing. Located in the 4th and 8th division Prison guards torture Falun Dafa practitioners. Their methods of torture include using Electric Batons to shock practitioners heads and bodies leaving burn marks. They also use Pyramid shaped stools with arm holds on either side, the practitioner is to wrap their arms around the stool and put there arms inside where they are cuffed together. They force them to stay this way for 11 days! When they are released they cant feel their limbs. Another form of torture is to tie up the practitioners with steel wire and deprive them of sleep for 24 hours.

 

Jeremiah Denton, was tortured in North Vietnam more than 30 years ago. His plane was shot down and was a prisoner of war for more than seven years. During his time spent in a Hanoi prison, they used methods of starvation and "The Ropes". This method is where they would pull the prisoners arms behind there back and tie them together at the elbows. The prisoners wrists were then locked together with "torture cuffs" and "jumbo irons" were placed over their ankles. Then a two inch thick bar was slid through the "jumbo irons". They tied a rope around the bar, brought the rope up over their shoulders forcing their head down between their knees. After they were all tied up they were forced to sit on a stool, sometimes left for days at a time. When released, Jeremiah Denton says, "I felt like a vegetable"

 

In 2004, accounts of physical, psycological and sexual abuse held in Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq, came to public attention. An investigation went underway in 2003 by the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command. Several pictures came out of soldiers dragging prisoners around by a leash attacted to the neck and mistreating them. Seventeen soldiers were removed from duty and eleven soldiers were charged with dereliction of duty, maltreatment, aggravated assault and battery. Between May 2004 and March 2006, eleven soldiers were charge with court martial and sent to military prison. Two Specialists (Charles Graner and Lynndie England) received ten years in prison. Brigadier General Janis Karpinski was demoted to Colonel, Janis denies any knowledge of the abuse.

 

Places where torture occurs:

Iran, Iraq, Turkey, China, Brazil, United States, China, Indonesia, Egypt and North Korea

 

Who's Helping:

The United States Constitution prohibits the use of "Cruel and unusual punishment". The United States stresses the fact that people have the right to be free from oppression of torture. Since Setember 11, 2001, over 3,000 suspected al-Qaeda members have been detained worldwired in nations suspected of using torture. The United States ratified the International Convention at the urging of President George W. Bush, "The United States must continue its vigorous efforts to bring the end of torture and other gross abuse of human rights to an end wherever they may occur." Amnesty International has campaigned against torture for more than forty years and has documents of over 150 countries practicing the use of torture. In 2000, 90% of countries surveyed had use of torture, In 2002 only 73% of countries had use of torture. As time goes on more and more countries will drop the use of torture and bring that number to zero. 

 

 

Showing what water-borading is.                            A man dead after being tortured to death.

 

Retrieved from http://www.georgevreilly.com/blog/CategoryView,category,Politics.aspx

 

This is a picture of a torture chamber.                       

 

References:

International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (2005-2009). What is Torture. Retrieved from http://www.irct.org/what-is-torture/defining-torture.aspx

 

Sam Vaknin (May 10, 2004). "Why do people Torture". Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/5-9-2004-53924.asp

 

http://www.hrw.org/legacy/campaigns/torture/methods/stress_duress.htm

 

Amnesty International USA (Januarary 2003). "War on Terror human rights isues, Torture" Retrieved from

http:/www.amnestyusa.org/war-on-terror/war-on-terror-human-rights-issues/page.do?id=1108182

 

Clear Harmony (September 8, 2004) Shock with Electronic Batons and "Stool Holding"  http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/200409/21809.html

 

Jeremiah Denton War Crimes. Retrieved from http://www.ojc.org.powforum/crimes.htm

 

Joe Ryan (March 18, 2004). Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ghraib_torture_and_prisoner_abuse

 

 

 

Comments (2)

Samuel said

at 12:32 pm on Sep 25, 2009

these pictures are disturbing :o-/<

Kassandra said

at 11:35 am on Sep 29, 2009

agreed.. disturbing graphics! =/

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