Torture: It Can Happen Anywhere

Torture can happen to anyone. Just ask Juan Méndez.

In 1975, while representing political prisoners as a human rights lawyer in Argentina, Méndez was arrested, tortured, and eventually expelled from the country. Today, he is the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, investigating human rights violations.

“Under certain conditions,” he says, “any country, any state can decide to use extreme measures, and a lot of us can be the victims.”

But in a post–September 11 world, isn’t torture necessary to keep us safe? To the contrary. “Torture only breeds more crime and more terrorism,” says Méndez.

But torture doesn’t happen only in interrogation rooms. Sometimes, it happens where you might least expect it. In the above video, Méndez explains.



Very interesting and enlightening way to think of torture, as it is prevalent even in free democratic societies.

Torture is desparation for information. Its an extortion of information using brutal force and must not be condoned. Our security forces and protectors must be above board in their quest for information. We must trust them.

As a human right activist, I am supporting Mendez in his fight against torture. In many countries of the world, people are been tortured when they raise their voices against the evil that is happening in the society. There is police brutality, political depression even it happen in families among couples. This ugly trend must be checked. UN should recruit human right activists like us, to fight against this ugly trend that destroy the dignity of man. Thank you.

Let's stop silence and act against torture!

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Oh yes, torture does exist everywhere, in "very" advanced as well as in not so advanced societies, contrary to numerous legal texts and political undertakings. So the challenge to all of us is this: what means do we have left to overcome it when all great leaders of thought, religions, philosophies and the vast majority of their ordinary followers have been powerless against it - when not manipulated to support it in the name of the protection of freedom, democracy, and what not?

When will the world grow up?

Torture is a means of getting information based on mistrust by perpetrators because they themselves feel the practice can be used on them too at a later time! Only trust and confidence in systems can secure us all everywhere at all times.

Thank you, Juan Mendez, for including the denial of drug addiction treatment and mass incarceration as a form of torture.

Torture is still rife around the world, which entails with different methods of punishment.

Public knowledge is key in understanding what, when and where torture is actually happening....

sociological and economic torture stemming from western economic policies in the philippines deprive our poor community for a sound family living.

Marcos Calvez' comment is so general that it is impossible to know if it makes any sense for any particular case. Filipinos have greatly gained from globalization, which provides many employment opportunities to those that otherwise would not enjoy them, often at the cost incidentally of jobs in the developed world. There is still alas an active communist party that resists this sort of common-sense analysis, and Calvez' comment sounds as if it comes from that direction. If so, it is worth pointing out that the communist party has to its name the shame of carrying out the only large-scale massacres that have taken place in Philippine history since the US invasion.

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