Saying no to torture (Economist)

[struggle4progress]

Oct 20th 2006
From Economist.com
Why some are willing to see it used

... But fear of terrorists is not the only factor. General attitudes to human rights count, too. Thus in many places where the death penalty is outlawed, as in the European Union, few would consider the use of torture even in extreme circumstances. In Britain and Spain, each the site of a large terrorist attack in the past couple of years, only a small proportion would contemplate it. In contrast in terrorism-free China, where authorities use the death penalty with enthusiasm, more than a third of those questioned say torture might also be ok.

Ignorance apparently matters too. Last year’s Pew survey showed that the general public in America is far more enthusiastic about the occasional use of torture than are security experts, academics or military leaders. It is tempting to conclude that experts who may have a better idea whether torture is likely to prove useful are less inclined to support its use ...

Those who believe think it could be useful may not, therefore, be swayed by moral or legal arguments. All big human-rights agreements concluded since the end of the second world war contain absolute bans on torture, with no exceptions. No domestic system officially allows it. Nor can anyone be sure they are only torturing the guilty. Argentina’s junta, for example, justified the use of torture against leftist groups that led to the execution of thousands of innocent people between 1976 and 1983.

A more telling argument, instead, may be that torture is often counterproductive. A desperate prisoner may say anything to bring his pain to an end, leaving interrogators with useless or distracting information. In addition, governments using torture are likely to provoke popular resentment and more embittered opponents. France’s brutal methods against those fighting for independence in Algeria ended up dividing French domestic opinion and strengthening its enemies. Routine abuse of Palestinian prisoners by Israel’s security services, Shin Bet, did nothing to dissuade Palestinian fighters and suicide bombers. Even America's closest allies say they are appalled by treatment of terrorist suspects that amounts, too often, to something near to torture. In too many cases, it seems, terrorist suspects are subjected to cruel treatment not for the sake of obtaining information, but for the purposes of punishment or humiliation.

http://www.economist.com/agenda/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8070066