Torture in black and white: books on torture

Recently, on our organisation’s website, we wrote about a new book from former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Professor Manfred Nowak. The book, titled Torture: the banality of the unfathomable (in German: Folter: Die Alltäglichkeit des Unfassbaren) chronicles Professor Nowak’s experiences in documenting torture around the world, both during his professional career and during his mandate for the UN, where he traveled to almost 20 countries in all regions of the world.

However, Nowak’s book is only in his native German; but it started us thinking about other books – both fiction and non-fiction – that address torture and its impact on the victims and their families. Similarly to our previous list on the top films, we present here our top books on torture. If there are any we have left off or neglected, please remind us in the comments.

To start, it’s fitting to point to the current UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Professor Juan Mendez, and his recent book Taking A Stand: The Evolution of Human Rights. Mendez, who is himself a torture victim from the Argentine Dirty War, describes it as; “a way to illustrate and enable people to understand how far we’ve come to make the international human rights groups diverse in their composition”. The book provides a very moving and in-depth telling of his own experiences as a torture victim in Latin America in the late 70s, and how since, he has dedicated his life to furthering the cause of human rights.

 

 

 

 

 

Many staff here at the IRCT recommended Jane Mayer’s The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals. Mayer examines the legal justification and excuses for the use of ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ AKA torture, on terrorism suspects by the CIA. As a long-time foreign correspondent, war reporter, and now at the New Yorker, Mayer’s journalistic background and method in writing creates a well-researched and gripping account.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Professor Juan Mendez actually recommended this historically-derived drama in an interview when his own book was published. Set in Chile, Dorfman chronicles a country seeking justice and peace after the violent Pinochet regime. Set several years after the end of the Pinochet dictatorship, Death and the Maiden follows the perspective of a women who hears the voice of the man who raped and tortured her several years prior – a man who is now a guest in her kitchen. Beautifully written, Dorfman’s play points to the long-term impact of torture.

 

 

 

 

 

While this may come as a surprise for some, George Orwell’s classic novel about a totalitarian state depicts well one of the tools of repression, fear, and control that occurs in such regimes. Although better known for its creation of terms such as ‘Orwellian’, ‘Big Brother’ and ‘though police’,  the final chapters focus on the torture and interrogation of  protagonist Winston Smith. Smith seeks love and individuality in this dystopian novel, only to find it snuffed out by apparatuses of the state.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The third book in our list written by a current or former UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, The Treatment of Prisoners Under International Law is a seminal work on torture, human rights, and international law by Sir Nigel Rodley. Places of detention, such as prisons, immigration detention centres, police lock-ups, or psychiatric centres, are the most common space in which one would find torture in any given country. As such, Rodley’s book and descriptive analysis is a fundamental read for those interested in how international human rights law came to be applied to a wider manner of human rights concerns, such as the inhumane or ill-treatment of detainees.

 

 

 

 

 

Horacio Verbitsky, author of Confessions of an Argentine Dirty Warrior, is among the most well-known investigative journalist and human rights advocate in his native Argentina. After the ‘Dirty War’, the decades of human rights violations, extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, and torture in Argentina, the former perpetrators of these crimes – largely the military branches under the regime – kept silent. Impunity prevailed. Verbitsky’s book is a first-hand account of the confessions of retired navy officer Adolfo Scilingo, the first man to break the military’s pact of silence and come forth with the crimes.

 

 

 

 

 

Torture: Does It Make Us Safer? Is It Ever OK?: A Human Rights Perspective is a series of essays and analysis from some of the top human rights thinkers, experts, and anti-torture activists in the world on a range of timely, current issues in human rights and the discourse around torture, particularly in the era of the so-called ‘war on terror’. For example, Minky Worden, Media Director of Human Rights Watch, conducts a survey of countries that torture. Eitan Felner, formerly of the Center for Economic and Social Rights and B’Tselem, writes on the Israeli experience. Twelve essays comprise the book.

 

 

 

 
There were a lot of memos that comprise the almost bureaucratic and systematic manner in which the U.S. government most recently approved the use of torture in interrogation. Among the most famous of these memos was a series of notes from former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. After 18 pages of interrogation techniques that defied well-established law on torture, Rumsfeld approved, thus leading to such atrocities as Abu Ghraib in Iraq, Guantanamo Bay Prison and Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are there any we have missed? Please let us know in the comments.

“They become shells of their former selves”: Long-term solitary confinement is torture

Walking across the cell would probably take no more than three paces. There is no light. There are no other people. And a prisoner will be there for 23 of 24 hours a day.

A BBC article today recalls the solitary confinement experience of one member of the infamous Angola 3 – three prisoners of one of America’s most brutal prisons who have long claimed their innocence and been the subject of a growing call to address justice issues in the U.S. The three men have spent a combined 100 years in solitary confinement, in cells no larger than three by two meters.

And that is not uncommon in the country with the most people in prison (the U.S. has, by far, the highest incarceration rates in the world – twice as many Americans are imprisoned as in China, where there are five times as many people). Although determining figures are hard to come by, some estimate there are anywhere between 25,000 to 80,000 people locked up in long-term solitary confinement.

“Lock yourself in your bathroom for 10 years, then come out and tell me that that’s not torture”, said one former inmate.

And the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez, agrees. Just last year in his first report as the special investigator, Professor Mendez reported that, “Segregation, isolation, separation, cellular, lockdown, Supermax, the hole, Secure Housing Unit (SHU)… whatever the name, solitary confinement should be banned by States as a punishment or extortion technique”. Any terms of confinement where an individual is alone for more than 22 hours per day, for a total of more than 15 days, may constitute torture or cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment.

Sarah Shourd would agree. The American woman became famous a few years ago when she, her fiancé, and their friend were apprehended by Iranian security forces during a hiking trip on the border with Kurdistan. She spent 9,495 hours in solitary confinement. She recently wrote about this experience:

After two months with next to no human contact, my mind began to slip. Some days, I heard phantom footsteps coming down the hall. I spent large portions of my days crouched down on all fours by a small slit in the door, listening. In the periphery of my vision, I began to see flashing lights, only to jerk my head around to find that nothing was there. More than once, I beat at the walls until my knuckles bled and cried myself into a state of exhaustion. At one point, I heard someone screaming, and it wasn’t until I felt the hands of one of the friendlier guards on my face, trying to revive me, that I realized the screams were my own.

As we find ourselves often having to reiterate, no person shall be subject to torture, and, as Professor Mendez has stated, that includes long-term solitary confinement.

No more shameful anniversaries – 10 years of Guantánamo

London protesters demand the closure of Guantanamo, which has been open 10 years today. Photo by casmaron through Creative Commons license.

Ten years ago today, the first detainees arrived in Guantánamo. Between now and then, the detention centre has become more than just a symbol of human rights violations, but the site of crimes of torture and arbitrary, indefinite detention. Look at the figures provided here by the American Civil Liberties Union, a US-based organisation that focuses on civil rights.

Compiled by the ACLU, source.

As such, we have released a statement condemning the prison, requesting its immediate closure, and the trying or release of the current 171 detainees (note: no detainees have been released in the last year despite almost 90 being cleared for release).

The naval base and prison, which sits on less than 120 square kilometers of land at the southern tip of Cuba, is more than just a symbol of the continued human rights violations of the United States, but the site of “continuous crimes of torture and ill-treatment amounting to shocking human rights concerns,” says IRCT Secretary General Brita Sydhoff.

As today marks 10 years after the first detainees arrived at the base, the IRCT joins other organisations and human rights defenders around the world in calling for the closure of Guantánamo Bay, and either trying detainees or releasing them.

Despite President Obama’s pledge to close the infamous prison, two years have passed since his deadline, and there is no indication from authorities or Congress that they will do so. Instead, on 31 January 2011, Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included an amendment that authorized indefinite detention.

“Rather than make good on his promise to close Guantánamo, the NDAA has codified the abhorrent practices in place for the last 10 years,” Sydhoff says. “This anniversary, the ongoing arbitrary detention of prisoners, and the complete lack of accountability for the crimes committed within the last decade speak to the failure of the U.S. and the Obama administration to live up to their human rights obligations.”

“No more unfortunate anniversaries should pass before the U.S. affirms its commitment to human rights, closing the doors on Guantánamo and bringing the perpetrators of crimes committed there to justice.”

Monday News Updates

As I mentioned Friday, we at the IRCT Secretariat have been very busy the last few weeks – tomorrow is the first day of our annual Council Meeting, our governing board of representatives from 26 member centres around the world and three independent experts. Their role is to ensure the formulation and implementation of major IRCT policy, and includes the membership in the democratic process of the organisation. It is truly a gathering of the rehabilitation movement in support of torture victims.

We will be sure to provide a full report from our annual Council meeting, but until then, here are the most updated news from around the world on torture and rehabilitation.

Political changes may be under way in Burma, but we echo Amnesty International’s concern for the current political prisoners being held in horrendous conditions.

“Prison conditions in Myanmar fall far short of many international standards.  Food, water and medical care are insufficient; political prisoners are often held far away from their families; and many have been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, including prolonged solitary confinement.”

Sarah Shourd ( left) her fiance Shane Bauer (right), and their friend Josh Fattal were arrested and detained after they unknowingly crossed the Iranian border on a hike through Kurdistan. Shourd writes in the New York Times of her torture experience with solitary confinement; she spent 9,495 hours alone in an Iranian prison cell leaving her with post-traumatic stress disorder. Available via Flickr, permission under Creative Commons license.

Sarah Shourd, one of the three hikers detained in Iran when they unknowingly cross the border from Kurdistan, has written about her torture experience with solitary confinement.

“It’s impossible to exaggerate how much the company of another human being means when you’ve been cut off from the world and stripped of your rights and freedom.”

Shourd calls on reviews of prison policies of solitary confinement, describing it as a torture with long-lasting impact on her life. Juan Mendez, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, has also called for a complete ban of the practice.

The U.S. is working on a deal with Afghanistan officials for the transfer of all detention facilities to Afghan control. However, among the reported issues holding up the deal – night raids and a timeline for the transfer – a UN report issued a few weeks ago documented ‘systematic torture’ in Afghanistan run prisons.

The Zimbabwean reports that the country’s High Court has ruled that two ‘thugs’ of Mugabe’s ZANU (PF) party who tortured a man who was a supporter of MDC during the 2008 political violence must pay the victim compensation for their crimes. The survivor reports he will use the funds to begin paying medical bills for his injuries. From a Zimbabwe human rights group (emphasis added by Editor):

The rights group commended the ruling by Justice Makone as a positive step towards promoting respect for human rights. “This serves to deter future violators of human rights thereby fostering a culture of accountability in the communities,” said the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum in a statement.

“The order serves not only to compensate Katiyo for the ordeal he suffered but also as an expression of the shared societal outrage at the ill-treatment he experienced. This is a positive step towards promoting respect for human rights and serves to deter future violators of human rights thereby fostering a culture of accountability in the communities.”

EU sees ‘important changes’ in Myanmar (AFP)
Myanmar political prisoners held in dog cells and denied water (Amnesty International)
Tortured by Solitude (New York Times)
Night raids, prison control stymie US-Afghan deal (Reuters)
High Court rules in favour of tortured MDC member (The Zimbabwean)

IRCT supports prosecution and investigation of Bush for torture

The IRCT supports the private prosecution of former U.S. President George W. Bush for the torture of four individuals by U.S. officials during their detention in Guantánamo. We, along with the other signatories of this letter, seek a criminal investigation and prosecution of Mr. Bush upon his arrival in Canada for violations against the Canadian criminal code and the UN Convention against Torture, of which Canada has ratified.

Read our full statement and the letter (PDF) we signed in conjunction with about 50 other non-governmental organisations.

Wednesday News Updates

Editor’s Note: Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we will post updates on ongoing cases of torture, new opinion pieces in the media, or news stories or issues that emerge.

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez condemned the practice of long-term solitary confinement as torture, and urged states to ban the practice. UN Photo by Jean-Marc Ferré

With all the excitement of our 26 June report and UN event, we are a little slow in getting the news updates on the blog. But thank you for your patience, and here they are.

Shortly after joining us for our panel discussion on rehabilitation of torture victims, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez called on countries to ban the use of prolonged solitary confinement and that the practice constituted torture:

“‘Solitary confinement is a harsh measure which is contrary to rehabilitation, the aim of the penitentiary system,’ he stressed in presenting his first interim report on the practice, calling it global in nature and subject to widespread abuse.”

We welcome the condemnation of this practice: IRCT Mecical Director Dr. Joost den Otter has also highlighted the damaging and inhumane side effects of both long and short term isolation.

Amnesty International published a conference report on the Gender and Torture conference in May of this year, co-hosted with REDRESS, a UK-based anti-torture and human rights organisation. Sundra, an IRCT legal officer and focus point for our women and girls projects, attended this conference, which focused on the gendered dimensions of torture.

Although this story has since been updated, we were highly disturbed by the news this morning that it seemed the U.S. was moving forward in selling arms to Bahrain, the Persian Gulf island nation that has been violently cracking down in dissidents and has faced countless allegations of torture and abuse. The Wall Street Journal has since updated that the sale is delayed for further review of Bahrain’s human rights abuses. President Obama had previously called on Bahrain to respect human rights. Keep a watch on this blog and our website for our further comment on this issue.

A prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas highlights detention practices, of Hamas, says The Guardian, and of all sides, argues Amnesty International. Hamas returned Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who has been held by Hamas since 2006; in exchange, Israel released over 400 prisoners.

Monday News Updates

Editor’s Note: Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, we will post updates on ongoing cases of torture, new opinion pieces in the media, or news stories or issues that emerge.

The CIA’s impunity on ‘torture tapes’ // The Guardian.uk

What triggered this duo’s uncharacteristic accusatory outburst was the revelation that the CIA had purposely destroyed numerous videos of interrogation sessions it had conducted with al-Qaida operatives (destroyed were 92 videos, showing hundreds of hours of interrogations).
……………..
Despite all that, there have been no legal consequences whatsoever for the crimes of these CIA officials…… And this week, a federal judge, whose own order to produce these videos had been violated by the CIA, decided that he would not even impose civil sanctions or issue a finding of contempt because, as he put it, new rules issued by the CIA “should lead to greater accountability within the agency and prevent another episode like the videotapes’ destruction”.

NEPAL: “A lot of the juveniles who have been subjected to torture see gloomy prospects for their future” // Asian Human Rights Commission

IRCT member centre in Nepal – the Centre for Victims of Torture – sat down for an interview on the topic of children and torture. Please read the full interview as it truly provides an on-the-ground description of work on the rehabilitation and prevention of torture on children.

Torture in itself is a very wrong practice; it is a gross human rights violation. When children receive the torture, it is even worse.

CIO torture offices addresses to be exposed // The Zimbabwean.uk

SW Radio Africa and The Zimbabwean will publish throughout the week a series on the  Central Intelligence Organisation regional and rural offices throughout Zimbabwe, used to abduct and torture political opponents and dissidents. 

As our series will prove, hundreds of opposition activists have been and continue to be abducted by CIO agents and taken to these offices to be tortured. Our list will also show surprising deployments of state security agents in furniture shops and at the Scientific and Industrial Research and Development Centre in Harare.

Party worker’s photo hints at torture // India Today

Even as the Jammu and Kashmir government has been claiming that the National Conference (NC) worker, Syed Mohammed Yusuf, died of natural causes,Headlines Today has accessed a picture which shows bruises on his face indicating towards his custodial death due to police torture.
The picture taken after Yusuf died shows bruise marks on his face. The deceased’s son Talib Hussain had claimed that his father died because of the torture.
“My father was interrogated inside the chief minister’s house. IG (crime) also told me the same. The picture of him shows torture marks,” Talib said.

Comitê de combate à tortura segue requisitos das Nações Unidas, diz ministra // Midiamax News, Brasil

O Comitê Nacional de Prevenção e Combate à Tortura está de acordo com os requisitos básicos da Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU) para o funcionamento das organizações de direitos humanos, segundo a Secretaria de Direitos Humanos (SDH). Hoje (7), representantes de movimentos sociais criticaram o governo federal por alterar projeto que cria o sistema nacional de combate à tortura, com nova forma de composição do comitê. Para eles, a composição do comitê desrespeita o Protocolo Facultativo à Convenção da Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU) contra a Tortura, tratado ratificado pelo Brasil em 2007.

Compiled by Tessa, communications assistant at the IRCT. If there are any articles you would like to send us that address the issue of human rights, detention abuse, or torture, please e-mail them to tem@irct.org.