US: CIA Torture is Unfinished Business

US: CIA Torture is Unfinished Business

The most widely accepted definition of torture internationally is that set out by Article 1 of the United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT):

 

“... '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 or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or 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. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.”

 

From this definition, it can be said that torture is the intentional infliction of severe mental or physical pain or suffering by or with the consent of the state authorities for a specific purpose.

 

Torture is often used to punish, to obtain information or a confession, to take revenge on a person or persons or create terror and fear within a population.

Some of the most common methods of physical torture include beating, electric shocks, stretching, submersion, suffocation, burns, rape and sexual assault.

 

Psychological forms of torture and ill-treatment, which very often have the most long-lasting consequences for victims, commonly include: isolation, threats, humiliation, mock executions, mock amputations, and witnessing the torture of others.

 

Ratification of the Convention obligates governments to assert responsibility for the prevention of torture and the redress for victims of torture. While the global fight requires the active support of all people, the government of a given territory is ultimately responsible for any torture that occurs within its boundaries. Individual governments, therefore, must take it upon themselves to take part in the struggle against torture. Ratification of the Convention is often a necessary first step in this process.

 

For this reason, the IRCT places a great emphasis on collective action aimed at the universal ratification of the Convention. Persons who reside in countries that have not ratified it have a very important role in lobbying within their own society. Persons who live in countries that have already ratified the Convention may also contribute to the cause through education and awareness raising activities promoting the cause of universal ratification of the Convention.
Torturer is cruel savage merciless living, can not be described as one of humans as his action proves that he is deprived of his humanity.
I think we all agree that the torturer is more than criminal, as a criminal has his own motive to commit a crime or has circumstances that put him in such unenviable position,but the perpetrator is someone who is deprived of mercy and humanity to do such action with his own choice and going further to create methods how to cause much pains to his victims .
How is our opinion then to be when we know that states use torture systematically in defeating political opponents, human rights activists,political activists,and others either by mistake or not.
for example the writer of this has been tortured twice in Egypt.in 2003 during the era of Mubarak for no reason but because he is a human rights activist.torture was not the only method but to make him lose his fortune and career and distort his reputations,so torturing someone is not the physical or mental of even the feelings pains but to make someone feels every second he lives that he is not even surviving he wishes every second to die and once moreat the era of the most worst dictator El sisi tortures and the police arrested him for only taking a picture with his mobile . the police tried to fabricate charges and accusations that he belongs to banned group ( Muslim brotherhood) this is the fabrication for all arrested for no reasons ) but later they found out that the muslim brotherhood raise a case against him as an opponent to muslim brotherhood. If it hadn't been for the Muslim brotherhood against him, He would have been torturing and detained for the next few years.
hence we can say any regime or state commit such crimes, should compensate and announce the regret and also introduce the criminals to  justice in fair trials. Its peoples should know via different ways these crimes.
otherwise we create people who are not human like happens in Egypt and other different parts of the world especially those dictators in Arab world.
If you think you are away of the calamهty of the consequences of such silence m you are completely wrong, somehow you will drink from the same cup 

Magdi Amer