Defining and documenting threats in the context of ill-treatment and torture

Threats are a common feature of detention and interrogation settings and have long been regarded as a routine procedure. Despite their prevalence and propensity to amount to ill-treatment and torture, threats have not been systematically and thoroughly analysed in case documentation processes. Given a lack of understanding, threats have unduly been considered a form of “torture-lite” at best by some juridical actors. However, its effect as an instrument of coercion can be devastating – engendering states of fear and anxiety and forcing its subject to act against their will. There is an important lack of theoretical reflection on what threats are, what types exist and how they impact the survivor. In this editorial, we aim to partly fill this gap from a medical and psychological perspective, providing a framework of understanding that will hopefully improve conceptual and practical assessment, documentation and qualification

The 6/24 rule: A review and proposal for an international standard of a minimum of six hours of continuous sleep in detention settings

Sleep deprivation is one of the most prevalent and widely used methods of psychological torture. Its effects on the body are without direct physical aggression and include significant somatic and psychological impacts and suffering. It is used in multiple coercive environments as a way, among other purposes, of degradation, debilitation, punishment or before and during the interrogation of detainees. In this specific context, it produces cognitive, emotional and physical exhaustion, with the aim of obtaining submission or compliance, and ultimately information or confession (Pérez-Sales, 2017; Reynolds & Banks, 2010; Sveaass, 2008). There is no universally accepted legal definition of what should be considered sleep deprivation in the context of torture.  There are however converging positions from the legal and jurisprudential, and especially medical and psychiatric fields that allow for establishing sufficiently clear recommendations for the international community to take a reasoned stance. Within the framework of torture as defined in the United Nations Convention (UNCAT), intentionally forcing a person to have less than 6 hours of continuous, restful sleep must be considered a form of degrading treatment that could amount to cruel and inhuman treatment. We also suggest that when this daily sleep deprivation is intentionally prolonged in a sustained manner for three days or more, it should be considered as a form of torture in itself, irrespective of other coexisting or cumulative elements that may aggravate the condition. &nbsp

Combating Torture and other Ill-Treatment. A Manual for Action. London. 2016 By Amnesty International

The new edition of Amnesty International's anti-torture manual appeared last year in a discreet way. So discreet that, being an international reference text, very few people seem to know about it. This is probably partly due to the contemporary trend to only publish texts and reports in an electronic format. In an environment of electronic saturation, documents can be ephemeral and the benefit of these kinds of general - purpose manuals are diluted. But, be sure, the Amnesty International handbook is a manual to have on the shelf, to consult and underline

Recordar. Violación de derechos humanos: una mirada médica, psicológica y política by Paz Rojas.

The text, published with the help of the University of Oslo, is a compilation of lectures and essays by Dr. Paz Rojas, a Chilean doctor, an international expert in the fight against torture, who at 85 years’ old, is still actively collaborating as Vice President of the Comite de Defensa de los Derechos del Pueblo [Committee in Defense of the Rights of People] (CODEPU). It will soon be 40 years since that November in 1980 when CODEPU was founded

Documentation of torture in children and young adults: Time to reflect

Documenting torture in children and young adults (ChYA) is a challenge. Less than 3% of academic papers on documentation and rehabilitation of torture victims are focused on children and youth. In the Delphi study on research priorities in the sector (Pérez-Sales, Witcombe, & Otero Oyague, 2017), five lines were proposed regarding torture in children, which covered: developmental disruptions related to the torture of relatives; developmental deficits related to infant torture; the effect on caregivers of torture/kidnapping of their children; the impact of torture on identity and worldviews among adolescents; and transgenerational trauma. The latter was considered among the 40 top research priorities. In this editorial, we briefly review: aspects related to the notion of torture as applied to ChYA; specific ethical problems in forensic documentation; and challenges in consistency statements. By doing so, we aim to outline key challenges that researchers and practitioners ought to pursue

The torture doctors. Human rights crimes and the road to justice.: by Steven. H. Miles.

Book review  The Torture Doctors. Human Rights Crimes and the Road to Justice. Steven. H. Miles. Georgetown University Press. 202

Hunger: Deprivation and manipulation of food as a torture method. State of the art in research and ways forward

Editoria

Ill-treatment and torture in demonstrations and other noncustodial settings. How can academic research help in the discussion?

The events in October 2017 in Catalonia exemplify the difficulty of establishing what ‘excessive use of force’ means. Images of violent repression of defenceless people of all ages waiting to vote accompany the Spanish government’s spokeswoman reiterating in the media that what the police force is doing is “proportional” and therefore allegedly acceptable. Can scientific research add to the debate on what is “proportional” and when an intervention in non-custodial settings enters into what is banned under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (‘CAT’)? This is not a minor issue. According to international databases, from an epidemiological point of view, torture happens mainly in prisons and police stations linked to marginalised populations. Ill-treatment and torture against political dissidents and protesters is less frequent, but widespread, affecting around 70% of countries across the world (Conrad, Haglund, & Moore, 2013)

Drawing the fine line between interrogation and torture: towards a Universal Protocol on Investigative Interviewing

Interrogation is an essential component of a comprehensive view of torture and deserves special reflection. In interrogational torture, physical and psychological techniques serve the purpose of creating the physical, cognitive and emotional exhaustion in the detainee considered necessary for the successful questioning of a potential source of information. Interrogation can, at the same time, be conducted in a way that deepens the effect of torturing methods and environments when the interview is carried out in a way that fosters cognitive and emotional exhaustion, leading to breakdown (Pérez-Sales, 2016). Interrogations follow procedures and regulations, but in most countries there is a lack of transparency and information. Academia has only recently begun to do systematic research on interrogation and interviewing techniques (Walsh, Oxburgh, Redlich, & Myklebust, 2017; Intelligence Science Board, 2006; Meissner, 2012; Rassin & Israëls, 2014) to prove effects beyond personal opinions