Torture: Physical & Mental Suffering for Information or Punishment - Essay Sample

Introduction

Torture can be referred to as an act in which suffering or severe pain, which may involve both mental and physical is inflicted on an individual intentionally, to obtain specific information from him. As pointed out by (Pau Perez-Sales), torture is meant to either reveal a specific confession from an individual or even punish him for a particular action done. Michael Levin, in his case, supports torture as a way of revealing harmful actions carried out terrorists (Levin 1). On the other hand, Alisa Soloman discussed a case against torture, since it violates the rights and dignities of human beings ("In 'The Case Against Torture,' Author And Professor Alisa Soloman Enumerate The Reasons Torture Should Never Be Practiced Or Justified In A Civil). This essay has discussed reasons why torture should not be practiced, which involves; people exposed to pain may revenge, torture may not be sufficient and an interrogative tool, it damages the humanity of the interrogators and has corrosive effects to the society.

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Some people may get exposed to torture without any fault, and this can lead to revenge. Being tortured is just like being placed in prison. In some cases, torture is replaced by public executions and violence, which cause trauma and shame to the victim. Just like the torture that was done by the Israelites to Palestinians in 1999, where a thorough investigation was not done on all the Palestine to determine the innocents, such cases may still occur to innocent people ("In 'The Case Against Torture,' Author And Professor Alisa Soloman Enumerates The Reasons Torture Should Never Be Practiced Or Justified In A Civil). Besides, it may violate the rights and dignity of human beings, as stated earlier. Some people believe in keeping quiet when asked questions, and some don't know how to defend themselves, even for the mistakes that are not theirs. If more torture Is done on these people, it can hurt them more and create grudge against people performing the torture action. In return, they may end up revenging, hence causing more harm and loss in the country

Torture may not be necessary as an interrogative tool. People may undergo a lot of physical pain as well as mental disturbances during torture. In return, the victim may end up giving false information to get rid of the pain. I this case, the interrogator cannot be sure on whether the information being obtained is true or not. Besides, if the wrong information given is about a third party, then the person may suffer for wrong mistakes. And this was precisely the case during the war in Argentina. For example, in the case against war by Alisa Soloman, an investigation was carried out by Marguerite Feitlowitz on the legacies of torture. From the tortures and victims that took part as respondents, it was identified that apart from torture being inhuman, atrocious, and against the raw, it is not always practical. Therefore, if the interrogator cannot be sure about the responses obtained through the process of interrogation, then why the process should take place? Torture should not be used as an interrogative tool in any case.

Torture damages the humanity of the interrogators. For the process to be effective, torturers must dehumanize their victims. Just imagine using of electroshock stun belts on an intimate or any other victim, or using upright jerker, or even slicing. Besides, electrocuting of the victims also may lead them to death. The actions signify that the persons using them must be brutal and probably are made brutalized by their actions. The more activities of torturing others carried out by the individuals, the more likely they become brutal. In return, this affects the social lives of the interrogator, thus affecting their relationship with the people around.

The violations of human rights have adverse effects on society at large. If an interrogator turns the dignity of human beings and their rights into rubbish, the same altitude will be paid back in the community. Besides, psychological torture or mental harm may cause more severe damage and long-lasting damage than the pain experienced from physical torture. Emotionally unstable people can be stubborn and harm others in society. As stated earlier, interrogators who are used to torture various suspects may also have negative altitudes to other people in the society, and may not be able to stay together peacefully.

Conclusion

In conclusion, torturing other people is a harmful activity, which can only be done by a minority. It is done to reveal some secret from an individual. However, this is not the most effective interrogative tool in obtaining specific information. The process might every painful, thus making the victim give out false information. It also affects the humanity of the interrogators, hence affecting their social life. Besides, most of the people that undergo the process of torture may get filled with bitterness and decide to carry out revenge on the interrogators, or in the society. Precisely, torturing suspects cause long term adverse effects. And this affects the overall community and draws the economically backward. With all these factors, torture as a mean of interrogation should not be carried out on suspects.

Works Cited

"In 'The Case Against Torture,' Author And Professor Alisa Soloman Enumerate The Reasons Torture Should Never Be Practiced Or Justified In A Civil... Retrieved from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13642980600608384?scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=fjhr20

Levin, Aaron. "UN Report Says Common Psychiatric Practices Amount To 'Torture'." Psychiatric News 49.9 (2014): 1-1. Web. Retrieved from: https://www.un.org/press/en/2011/gashc4014.doc.htm

Pau Perez-Sales, Pau. "Psychotherapy For Torture Survivors - Suggested Pathways For Research." Torture Journal 27.1 (2017): n. pag. Web. doi: 10.7146/torture.v27i1.26528