As the United States comes to grips with the abusive interrogation techniques
used
against detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere—and as the internal
Bush administration
memoranda debating what interrogation techniques are permissable become public—it
is useful to consider the techniques the U.S. government has condemened when
used
by
other
countries.
The following list, while not exhaustive as to which countries used specific
techniques to torture and mistreat their detainees, reveals what practices the
U.S. government
has previously condemned.
Examples of Torture or other Cruel,
Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment Condemned in the U.S. State Department’s
2003 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices*
Printer-Friendly
Version (.pdf)
| Type of Abuse |
Country |
| Beatings |
Brazil, Burma,
China, Egypt, Eritrea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Pakistan,
Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe |
| Binding/Shackling
of Limbs |
China, Eritrea, Israel, Pakistan |
| Blindfolding |
Egypt, Israel, Turkey |
| Branding |
Iraq |
| Burning |
Iran, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Turkey |
| Denial of
Food/Water |
Burma, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Pakistan , Tunisia, Turkey, Zimbabwe |
| Dog
Attacks |
Libya |
| Dripping
Water on Head |
Turkey |
| Electric
Shocks |
Brazil, China,
Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Pakistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Uzbekistan |
| Exposure
to Excessive Heat/Cold |
Eritrea, Indonesia, North Korea, Turkey |
| Forced Painful
Positions |
Burma, Israel, North Korea |
| Humiliation |
Indonesia, Israel, North Korea, Pakistan , Turkey |
| Mock
Executions |
Turkey |
| Sexual
Assaults |
Egypt, Eritrea, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan , Tunisia, Turkey, Uzbekistan |
| Slapping |
Turkey |
| Sleep
Deprivation |
Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Turkey |
| Solitary
Confinement |
China, Iraq, Jordan, North Korea, Pakistan , Tunisia |
| Stripping |
Turkey |
| Submersion
(Water-boarding) |
Brazil, Tunisia |
| Suffocation |
Indonesia, Libya, Uzbekistan |
| Suspension/Hanging
by Limbs |
Egypt, Indonesia,
Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia,
Turkey |
| Threats (esp.
of sexual abuse) |
Brazil, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Tunisia , Turkey |
* This list is illustrative, not
comprehensive. The 2003 country reports may identify other countries
that employ these practices.
|
