The Convention Against Torture Essay

Torture is something that is known as wrong internationally. Torture is “deliberate, systematic or wanton infliction of physical or mental suffering by one or more persons acting on the orders of authority, to force a person to yield information, to confess, or any other reason” (World Medical Association, 1975, pg.1). There is a general consensus that there is a right to be free from any kind of torture as it can be found in many different human rights treaties around the world. The treaties show that all of the thoughts about torture are pointing away from the right to torture someone no matter what the case

“The one lesson we 've learned from history is that we have not learned any of history 's lessons” (Unknown Author, n.d.). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the use of Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (EITs) such as “waterboarding” and extraordinary rendition (aka “black sites”) by CIA agents for American intelligence interests and to analyze the drastically apposing views of the legalities, morality, and effectiveness of these methods. Is the CIA’s use of EITs and extraordinary rendition equivalent to torture, and therefore, acts in violation of international law? The definition of “torture” under statute 18 U.S.C. 2340 states, “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” (United States Code, 2011). This definition expands with specific identifying characteristics of an act and varies to include humiliation of an individual. Of course, pain and suffering is a subjective experience. The worlds historical practice of “torture” reinforces lessons that human’s imaginative capacity for inflicting pain and terror on our fellow human is disgracefully boundless; yet, parallel behaviors of violence and humiliation reemerge with disturbing regularity (Smith, 2013).

The institution of torture has been in existence for quite sometime; however, it was not always seen as an ethical question. In antiquity, the Romans employed something known as “the cat-of-nine-tails,” which was a flogging instrument with nine sharp ends. However, the use of torture was not confined to the West, the Chinese utilized “bamboo sticks to beat people.” During antiquity, torture was used as a punishment, but during the Spanish Inquisition, this notion of torture evolved to a means to extract withheld information. Today torture is unofficially used to extract information; however, it is officially illegal according to the United Nations and the Geneva Conventions. Nonetheless, the issue of legality and

Torture is known as the intentional infliction of either physical or psychological harm for the purpose of gaining something – typically information – from the subject for the benefit of the inflictor. Normal human morality would typically argue that this is a wrongful and horrendous act. On the contrary, to deal with the “war on terrorism” torture has begun to work its way towards being an accepted plan of action against terrorism targeting the United States. Terroristic acts perpetrate anger in individuals throughout the United States, so torture has migrated to being considered as a viable form of action through a blind eye. Suspect terrorists arguably have basic human rights and should not be put through such psychologically and physically damaging circumstances.

There are some that do not constitute the United States ' treatment of the prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo as torture because there were different definitions of the word. According to the Third Geneva Convention, torture is defined as "acts of violence" and "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental is intentionally inflicted." After the September 11, 2001 attack, the United States changed its definition of torture to "physical pain amounting to torture must be equivalent in intensity to the pain accompanying serious physical injury, such as organ failure, impairment of bodily function, or even death." To be regarded as torture, the act "must cause some lasting, though not necessarily permanent damage." Some disregard these acts as simply cruel treatment and do

Torture is commonly practiced all over the world, but most notably in the Guantánamo bay detention center in Cuba. It is most commonly used on prisoners of war to obtain useful enemy information, but it is not limited to that as it is practiced in normal prisons and jails. After experiencing torture, people don’t possess the same mindset. These (cruel ) sessions of

Should torture and the threat of torture be morally and legally acceptable, then in all levels involving local, state and federal systems should be able to use torture techniques. If something is acceptable for one legal system, then all legal systems should be able to perform the same task. If there is restrictions on which legal systems can use torture, then there would not be any checks and

On December 9, 2014, a 528 page document was released to the public known as the “CIA Torture Report”. It contains details of the CIA’s (Central Intelligence Agency) “enhanced” interrogation. The document, which is actually a summary of the 6,700 page report states that the United States, has been torturing its detainees in foreign countries in order to get confessions or answers from them. The many tactics used by the CIA include but not limited to, facial and abdominal slaps, rectal “feeding” and/or rehydration, ice-water baths, sleep deprivation for more than a week, shackling in stress positions, isolation, sensory deprivation, water-boarding, and walling (being slammed against a wall repeatedly). Detainees were also told that their families would be harmed, and/or sexually assaulted. Many Americans are against this “enhanced” interrogation, others feel it is necessary.

Today, I will seek to prove that not only does the United States have a history of torturing terrorism suspects by methods including waterboarding, sleep deprivation, solitary confinement, and threats to the self or the family, but also that the use of such torture is illegal according to United States and international law. I will also argue that the United States is guilty of the illegal extraordinary rendition of terrorist suspects. Further, I will argue that current standards for investigating terrorism suspects jeopardizes civil liberties under section 215 of the USA Patriot Act.

Throughout the last 15 years of operation, Guantanamo Bay has faced endless criticism from both international countries and the US. The biggest issue is the legal “black hole” that exists at Guantanamo Bay and the concern over interrogation techniques and torture. We are able to torture prisoners because of how George W Bush described the war. “Bush thought it was a new kind of war and that this meant the Americans didn’t need adhere the rules of the Geneva Convention,” explains Professor Honigsberg from the University of San Francisco. The convention says prisoners of war must be treated humanely during a war. “But Bush didn’t call them ‘prisoners of war’ but ‘enemy combatants’. This was how a

Is there enough unfair detainment and torture at the Guantanamo Bay prison to shut it down? Many of the prisoners that are held there are subject to torture and unfair imprisonment, which violates two human rights. This is a vital reason for closing the Guantanamo Bay prison. Freedom from torture is an important human right because if we didn’t have it, even more people would be in unnecessary and excruciating pain, and even in prison, people deserve a certain amount of comfort in their daily life. Freedom from unfair detainment is another important human right, because it is inhumane to imprison people arbitrarily. Camp 22 is a historical example of where the rights to no torture and no unfair detainment were violated. Camp 22 was a concentration camp in North Korea. This concentration camp was recently shut down. To stop torture and unfair detainment all of the known prisons who hold victims of torture and unfair detainment should be shut down, just like Camp 22 in North Korea. It would be a long shot, but there aren’t many other options to help stop these human rights violations, especially around the world. Guantanamo Bay prison should be shut down due to the torture and unfair detainment occurring there.

“Torture: the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty” (Dictionary.com).The thing about torture is it will always get you an answer; it just won't always get you the right answer. Torture is banned at all times, including at times of war ("Torture."). This makes it extremely bothersome that the United States of America has facilities like Guantanamo Bay detention camp, built on the coast of Guantanamo Bay in southeastern Cuba in 2002. The camp is used to house suspected terrorists captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere. The prisoners are held at the camp without charge and without the legal means a fair trial ("Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp…”). Of the total 779 prisoners that Guantanamo Bay has ever housed, Only 3 detainees have ever been charged and convicted of a crime ("History of Guantanamo”). Because of this, the facility has become a focus of worldwide controversy.

In the United States legal system, torture is currently defined as “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.” as defined by Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives (US Code, 1) Though this is a seemingly black and white definition, the conditional “…other than pain or suffering incidental to lawful sanctions…” have led many to question what precisely this entails. In other words, what are the lawful sanctions that permit such acts? Are they ethically right? Where is the line drawn as torture

In the United States, one of the major methods in obtaining crucial information has been through the use of Guantanamo Bay. While many have condemned of the torture that is believed to occur there, not only does Guantanamo Bay comply with national and international standards, but it also complies with Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions (Meese 1) which states

Even though there is international law, torture is practiced in over 100 countries. These countries often justify this doing by saying they need to extract confessions, identify terrorists, and obtain intelligence critical to preventing attacks. The UN does not tolerate any torture, no matter the circumstances. When Guantanamo Bay was found of violating human rights and international law, President Bush insisted that “all detainees were well cared for and that none of the enhanced interrogation techniques employed on some prisoners were torturous”. According to US officials the use of these techniques has revealed valuable intelligence on the