Originally posted by PalynkaI'm skeptical about the 78% figure -- I haven't read the study, but how the researchers or Amnesty Internation defines torture seems to be problematic in this type of broad study. What might pass for a simple police arrest and interrogation in one country might land you on a human rights watch list in another.
I think it cites a 2004 paper, but somewhere else goes on to say this paper's numbers are based on Amnesty International reports about torture. I'm pretty sure these include countries that do not endorse torture in general.
Then again, it's a very fine line to decide what consists endorsement of torture. Turning a blind eye or tolerating it can be seen a ...[text shortened]... . Publicly endorsing certain forms of torture can only legitimize some of these behaviours.
Originally posted by der schwarze RitterMaybe there is such thing as international law.
This was the most interesting part of the article:
An average of 78 percent of the governments in the world used torture against at least one person under their control in any given year during the last 25 years of the 20th century, according to Moore and Ryals. Those who used it in a given year faced a 93 percent chance of continuing the pra ...[text shortened]... can torture be against international law? Maybe there's no such thing as "international law"?
- But some criminal nations do not comply.
- But some nations think that they are above the law.
It's really just like people in general, some have criminal minds, and some just don't give a damn.