Amnesty International Report On Torture

On Human Rights Day in 1972 Amnesty International launched a world-wide campaign against the systematic use of torture by governments, an integral part of which was the preparation of a Report on Torture, Drawing on the full extent of Amnesty International research material, this Report examines all the existing evidence on torture as an instrument of government, the circumstances in which torture flourishes, and the reasons for, and the results of, its use. A major section deals with international and domestic legal safeguards and remedies against torture and their relative importance for its prevention and abolition. The Report, which was designed to provide basic source material for Amnesty’s Conference for the Abolition of Torture in Paris in December 1973 - for representatives of world governments, the United Nations, inter-governmental bodies and non - governmental organisations, and medical, legal and other professional experts - is an important work of reference for all concerned with international affairs and human rights. Its overall conclusion is that torture, now used not only for extracting information but as a method of political control, is a world-wide phenomenon which is on the increase.

Preface

Historical aspects of torture 

The problem of legal definition

Torture as a stress 

Manipulation and resistance 

Pharmacological torture 

Injury and long-term effects 

Torturers: psychological aspects

The difficulty of investigation 

International governmental organisations 

Regional organisations 

Non-governmental organisations 

Case Study A: The UN and occupied territories of the Middle East

Case Study B: Regional and international response to the use of torture in Greece, 1967-1973

Case Study C: The UK government and Northern Ireland

The nature of the evidence

Africa

Asia

Western Europe

Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union

The Americas

The Middle East

Conclusions