An Essay on Torture

By Jace Aguirre

According to Human Rights Watch in the following countries: China, Egypt,

Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, North Korea, Pakistan,
Russia, Syria, Turkey, Uganda, and Uzbekistan have documented the use of torture
in two thousand and four and two thousand and five. In a recent poll Fifty Three
Americans belive that all torture should be abolished, with thirty one of those
polled believing it should be allowed but with limits, and seven of those polled
believing it should be allowed without limits. That is in contrast to India in
which twenty eight of those polled say that torture should be abolished entirely,
forty seven belive it should be allowed with limits and, twelve believing it
should be allowed in general. The average of all the country's polled: fifty
seven for, twenty six for with limitations, and nine for without limitations.
While torture itself is bad, due to the physical as well as phycological
effects it has on people, the information retrieved could be vital to saving human
life.
June Nineteen seventy nine Jean Leon along with an accomplice kid-napped Louis
Gachelin, a cab driver in Miami Florida, demanding a several thousand dollar
ransom. Leon was captured by police officers but was not with Gachelin. Concerned
that Gachelin would be murdered if it was known that Leon had been captured, seven
police officers made a radical decision. To find where the accomplice was holding
Gachelin they beat the information out of him. The abuse sustained by Leon was
twisting his arm behind his back as well as choking him until he revealed the
location of Gachelin. Leon eventually succumbed to the torture and revealed the
location. Gachelin life was arguably saved by torture.
Through in this scenario torture was vital to saving someone's life, it is
often used in less humanitarian ways. From nineteen sixty one to nineteen seventy
three many US servicemen shot down over Vietnam would end up in what was called
the Hanoi Hilton. Here they were subjected to beatings, rope bindings, solitary
confinement, starvation, as well as diseases such as dysentery. Despite signing
the third Geneva convention of 1984 which demanded humane treatment of prisoners
of war, the North Vietnamese viewed the bombing attacks carried out by the United
states as crimes against humanity. So in response to the bombings severe torture
methods were employed by the North Vietnamese.
While torture is a horrible institution which, if there is an alternative,
should never be used, it is sometimes a necessity.
"The suffering caused by the terrorists is the real torture."
Jean-Marie Le Pen
Usually you are dealing with group of people who harm innocent civilians to
further there own personal ideals, or a kid-napper committing a crime for greed,
or just because they hate anyone associated with a particular group or nationality
that they just happen to disagree with. To help possibly prevent further loss of
life torture is sometimes justified. As in the first example above if someone is
going to die, and another person has the information that will prevent that, it is
justified. The problem arises when torture to obtain information becomes sadism
or torture for the sake of torture, as shown in the second example. A further
example of which will be mentioned in detail, further in this monograph.
United Nations Definition of torture
The United Nations definition of torture is the act of using severe pain or
suffering ether physical, mental or the instigation there of to, obtain
information, obtain a confession, or as punishment for an act, suspected act, or
an act committed by a third party in which the accused is affiliated with in some
way as well as discrimination of any kind but does not include: "pain or suffering
arising only from inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions."
United States Definition
“torture” means an act committed by a person acting under the color of law
specifically intended to inflict severe physical or mental pain or suffering (
other than pain or suffering incidental to lawful sanctions) upon another person
within his custody or physical control;
Now that we know two definitions on how torture is defined by two different
factions, we can go into what torture really is, that is what are the tools of the
trade. There are many different ways to get people to divulge information they are
hiding. Some of the more commonly known are things like, thumb screws used during
medieval Europe, a vice like instrument in which the fingers were placed in
between then they were crushed or, a technique used today referred to as water
boarding, in which a cloth is places over the victims mouth, then water is pored
over it as another torturer places pressure on the victims chest. this is meant to
simulate drowning. To something as simple as playing loud music over a long period
of time or. . . beating someone within an inch of their lives. To know torture as
it is now you must first know torture as it was then.
The Inquisition
When one says the inquisition what most often automaticly comes to mind is
that one Monty Python skit with the three Cardinals in red uniforms shouting "No
one expects the Spanish inquisition!" While the skit is funny the real
inquisition was any thing but. The inquisition encompassed 605 years and affected
up to fifty million Christians, Jews, Muslims, Knights Templar, as well as persons
allegedly practicing witchcraft. Anyone who did not agree to the teachings of the
catholic church above the beliefs they followed were considered Heretics and
persecuted by the catholic church. During the twelfth century Pope Innocence III,
offering land to anyone who would help fight this heresy, began a crusade against
the new spread of bible believers which stretched all over Europe. While pope
Innocence the III began this crusade against bible believers his successor Pope
Innocence the IV actually laid out the details of how people were to be tortured.
It was then added on to by seventy five successive popes.
The Judas chair consisted of a seat shaped as a pyramid. the victim was
lowered down so that the point would penetrate the orifice of the victim so as to
make the victim renounce their faith.
This next one pretty much explains itself. Burning at the stake:The victim
is tied to a stake, brush is placed around the stake and is then set on fire. This
even usually was done in front of a crowd. Usually the persons burned at the stake
were ones who posed the biggest threat to the Church.
One of the most well known of catholic torture machines, the rack consisted
of ropes tied to the limbs of the victim which were then tightened causing the
bones of the victim to become dislocated.
These are just a few of the ways the catholic church used to make people
denounce their religion and follow the doctrine of the Roman catholic church.
The Roman catholic church still maintains the cannon laws use d as the authority
to coheres Christians.
Through the years torture methods have become more and more refined. It is
not about applying bodily harm upon the victim but more going after specific fears
humans have such as the fear of drowning. As well it is using pressure points on
the body to get a response .
A good example of this is the methods used at Guantanamo Bay as well as Abu
Ghraib. In these instances US forces used dogs, Heavy metal music, and sleep
deprivation to cause Physiological pain upon the Detainees.
Torture Lite?
The "fat free, zero calorie, less filling, same bad taste" version of the
above.
"Torture Lite" is defined as methods of interrogation which fall short of actual
torture, through the Geneva Convention makes no division between torture and so
called "torture lite."
Torture lite focuses more on messing with a persons head rather than
application of brute force on the person or persons body until they divulge the
information. while leavening no physical marks torture lite still leads to further
psychological problems down the road. Some of the methods classified under
torture lite is sleep deprivation, exposure to heat/cold, use of drugs to cause
confusion, rough treatment such as, Slapping, shoving, shaking, forcing a prisoner
to stand for days at a time, or sit in a uncomfortable position. Another used is
humiliation, such as placing woman's underwear on detainies heads, or playing on
the detainies fears, such as use of dogs, or playing Heavy metal music at a high
volume. First one we will talk about is sleep deprivation. In this detainies are
kept awake for days at a time and then allowed to sleep, but before the are
allowed to sleep they are interrogated. Without adequate rest, brain Function will
deteriorate, Decision making is diminished, Ability to handle stress is lessened,
the brains ability to think in general deteriorates causing the brain to try to
compensate for the lack of sleep. Extended sleep deprivation can lead to many
health issues such as: depression, heart disease,
hypertension, irritability, slower reaction times, spurred speech as well as,
tremors.
The next "lite Torture" Method will be drugs. Also called "Truth Serum" There
are many different types of drugs used interrogation.
Scopolamine - which appered early this century, along with morphine as well as,
chloroform. It was used during child birth as a constituent of henbane, it was
known to produce drowsiness, disorientation, in coordination, as well as amnesia.
During its use doctors reported that women in the so called "twilight sleep
answered questions accurately, "volunteering exceedingly candid remarks"
In 1922 a doctor by the name of Robert House, came up with the idea of the use of
the drug in the interrogation of suspected criminals. He arranged to ingerogate
two prisoners held in the Dallas County jail. The guilt of the criminals was
assumed obvious, through under the influence of the drug, both men denied the
charges of which they were heald. Upon trial they both prisoners were found not
guilty. With this success, House concluded that a patient under the influence of
the drug, in his own words, "cannot create a lie. . . and there is no power to
think or reason." He gained wide recognition and, the idea of a "truth drug" was
thus brought to the publics attention. There were only a small handful of cases
were the use of scopolamine was
brought to the publics attention, through there is extensive evidence suggesting
police used it extensively. Though there is proof of its effectiveness there are
some still harmful side effects among which are hallucinations, disturbed
perception, somnolence, physiological phenomena such as headache, rapid heart, as
well as blurred vision which distract the subject from the purpose of the
interrogation. In addition, the physical action is far out lasting the
psychological effects. Scopolomine, in a few cases, actually makes surgery safer
by drying the mouth and throat , and reducing secretions which may block air
passages. But the effect is thought of as a little too drastic.
The Barbiturates - The advent of barbituets as a interogation method came by
accident in 1916 Arthur S. Lovenhart along with his associates of the University
of Wisconsin. Lovenhart were experimenting with respiratory stimulants, they were
suprised when an injection of sodium cyanide to a catatonic patient who was mute
and rigid, suddenly relaxed, opened his eyes, as well as answered questions. A
number of doctors, experimented with the drug along with other established forms
of therapy.

While this attracted many doctors it also attracted many police officials,
with the possibility of using it as an interrogation method for suspects and
witnesses. By 1935 the head of the Michigan crime detection lab at east Lansing,
Clarence W. Muehlberger, used this new class of depressant drugs, on suspects
reluctant to speak. Though the use of barbiturates was hampered by courts who did
not accept barbiturate induced confessions except in a verry small amount of
cases.
There are hundreds of more methods of interrogation that vary from physical, to
emotional, to the use of other drugs that are used but we will not go into all of
them due to the extent of this argument.
Now that we know the many different types of torture I will get to the crux
of the issue, which is the when, why, how, of torture. When can we use it, Why do
we use it, how do we use it,
To begin with why should we torture people? what is a justifiable reason to
torture a person? Is it only when there is lives at stake? Or are there other
reasons to torture a person? How about the use of torture as a punishment for a
crime? In July 1994 seven year old Megan Kanka was invited to see a new puppy her
neighbor had bought. The neighbor, Jesse Timmendequas, was a twice convicted
pedophile. he raped her and murdered her and, then dumped her body in a near by
park. It was because of this that Megan's Law was later enacted to help prevent
this. I cannot think of a better situation for the use of torture, as a
punishment, than in cases like this. so it would seem that there is another
possible use of torture. But then you have to ask where is this going to go? If
we alow this torture, while wholly justified, to be allowed, what will be next,
who will we be torturing next? Will it go back to the days where people who steal
got there hands chopped off?
Also what if someone messes up and. . . convicts the wrong person?
Second question how will you torture someone? What techniques do you use?
what will work for one will not nessesarily work for the other. Keeping in mind
that the only reason why you use torture is as stated in the previous above
paragraph. What specificlly will you do to a person? Will you go back to the tools
of the inquisition? or will you use new techniques of today? what if the new
techniques don't work? what if they get used to the loud heavy metal music? What
then? Britney Spears? The Backstreet boys? What if you administer barbiturates but
all you find out about is some random personal secret that has nothing to do with
the issue at hand? Some people may only spill their guts if loss of limb is
inevitable. So what do you do?
Third question, what are the situations in which where torture can be used.
As I have stated before it must be where lives are at stake. The problem arises
when you have a variable (x). You have a prisoner, with known affiliations to a
organization such as Al Quada , the Black September, or another terrorist
organization. An organization who is known to go after soft targets, civilian
targets. When, therefore, do you know to use torture. As well how do you know the
prisoner is even knowledgeable of a terrorist plot, or even if he has anything to
do with the organization. This is one of the problems with knowing in what
situation to use torture. How do you know that you are not just destroying an
innocent person. The answer to this question is that you do not know. Assuming
that you are not just grabbing random people off the street, and throwing them in
the cell, there is a reason the particular person is in custody. sometimes you
must depend on the information you do have and work up from there. There is no
golden rule hat says this, this, that and, the other thing must be there in order
for you to use torture as a method of interrogation. You have to place the
welfare of the person being interrogated, with that of the possible lives that are
at stake. This is not a decision to take lightly. You cannot just go and use
torture as a method to interrogate persons suspected of a crime, nor can you do it
as punishment for Insignificant crimes.

Through the face of torture has changed dramaticly from the days of the
inquisition to the heavy metal music, drugs, sleep deprivation etc. of today, it
still does not change the fact that torture is a horrible institution, it leaves
marks both physically as well as mentally. But although a few suffer sometimes it
is so that the greater mass can live. there are some horrible people out there who
want to harm innocent people to further their own goals. So in some situations the
use of torture is sometimes not only justified, but essential.

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