A Report On Torture: Definition, History, And Position In Modern World

“No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. ” The UN Convention against Torture describes it as an act by which serve pain or suffering is caused, whether physical or mental for obtaining information or as punishment for committing a crime act. Torture is a very sensitive subject. No matter what a person has to say to say about torture, there is a moral reason why they are not saying it. If everyone is against it, why would one bring it up and make people think about it and risk changing their minds?

'There is scarcely for the finding a savage or primitive race which does not employ torture either in its religious rites or it's code of punishment'. History of torture takes us back to the savage life. Tormented individuals were supposedly ‘gifts to the Gods’. The acts of torture back then were very barbaric and are not used in today’s world. However, torture has been normalized since 9/11 and is still often justified because of terrorism.

Torture is contrary to every relevant international law, including the laws of war. No other practice except slavery is so reprobated in law or human convention. Yet, unlike slavery which is definitely still happening but affects a few people, torture is widespread and growing. According to Amnesty International many governments are using torture and are independent upon it for their very survival.

It has been said that everyone in their right mind should believe that torture is wrong. All over the world, organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch testify, that people are being tortured in pursuit of these ends even as you read these words. People are too often tortured just for the sadistic pleasure of it. If there is any way to justify torture, then it is only in the circumstances of the ticking bomb scenario. The ticking bomb scenario is one of the most known methods of torture which makes our society believe that torture acts should be pursued if it involves an innocent group of people. If any form of torture is justifiable at all, then it’s justifiable when it is the only possible way of getting the information needed to save lives of innocent people. Nothing else could possibly make torture okay.

Others argue that it is very clear that the ticking bomb scenario shows what is wrong with this view. A moral theory which permits hundreds or thousands of people get maimed or killed rather than hurting one person who has the needed information to prevent such horrendous scenarios. There is definitely more than just one way of saying what is wrong with torture. There are no exceptions to why torture will always be wrong.

There is certainly more than just one way of saying what is wrong with torture. There are no exceptions to why torture will always be wrong. Torture treats the victim as a means to an end instead of an end in themselves. It violets human rights and dignity of the victim. No one should be put in the position to perform such acts on other people. Until very recently there has been unanimous agreement that torture was wrong; regardless the reason, timing, and place. Or at least that’s what it looks like. It is said that almost every writer since the early 1970s believes that torture is acceptable in extreme cases. Many people think torture is justifiable in the ticking bomb case, and believe that if the torture is non-lethal and you compare one person to hundreds or thousands of those being blown up and killed, then it is okay to do so because it’s going to prevent larger group of people from dying.

The case studies that this background document will focus on are Freedom from torture in Mexico and Guantanamo Bay. Mexico has a poor record on human rights abuses. In 2001, Mexico’s National Human Rights Commission exposed a report on human rights abuses by the government and security on individuals accused of being left-wing activist between 1970s and 1980s. But the worst human rights abuses happened during presidency of Luis Echeverria in 1970-1976. The report states detail of torture and forced disappearance of 532 people. In 1999, the Human Rights Watch published a report about abuses by Mexico’s authorities; judges, military, federal police and the state. It has been said that although Mexico bragged about their laws protecting human rights, including the Convention against Torture, they were not put into practice. Suspects were tortured and evidence was tampered as well as extra-judicial executions were performed.

Since January 2002, The Department of Defense has held 779 men at Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. Guantanamo Bay was used and the rendition programme was expanded, this is because the prisoners should be interrogated by the US military not overseas intelligence as the US argued. The camp’s history dates take us much further back to when the US and Cuba signed an agreement that gave the US access to Guantanamo Bay as a naval station. In this agreement, a clause was found that let the US people the rights to 'exercise complete jurisdiction and control' over the area.

Torture methods such as sleep deprivation, beatings, water boarding, slamming detainees against a wall and threats were used. The details of these acts are sickening. After the CIA released the reports, a Pakistani man admitted to being sexually abused while being a Guantanamo prisoner. This abuse was not included in any of the public reports. In 2016, President Obama proposed closure of the Guantanamo Bay, but never mentioned torture or human rights violations in regard to Guantanamo Bay.

Torture is a sickening and a primitive method of extracting information. There are and always will be alternative methods to extract information from a suspect. It violates human rights and for what could be worse, more humiliating, disrespectful and disregarding than torturing and breaking people and treating them like they are not human? With many active human rights activists, people are becoming more aware of torture and its wrongfulness.

Public awareness has increased and progress is being made in many areas of the world. For many human rights defenders and activists, the future is hopeful.