Missionaries of the Sacred Heart

FROM THE DESK OF BROTHER WARREN

JUSTICE AND PEACE – INTEGRITY OF CREATION

MISSIONARIES OF THE SACRED HEART

UNITED STATES PROVINCE

Brother Warren Perrotto, M.S.C. –COORDINATOR

AN END TO TORTURE

Torture violates the basic dignity of the human person that all religions, in their highest ideals, hold dear. It degrades everyone involved—policymakers, perpetrators and victims. It contradicts our nation’s most cherished values. Any policies that permit torture and inhumane treatment are shocking and morally intolerable. Nothing less is at stake in the torture abuse crisis than the soul of our nation. What does it signify if torture is condemned in word but allowed in deed? Let America abolish torture now—without exceptions.[1]

The debate on torture continues on the world scene. In the United Sates the issue of torture came to the fore once again with President Bush’s refusal to sign the FY 2008 H.R. 2008 Act on March 8, 2008. The controversial issue hinged on Section 327 of the bill which states:

(a) Limitation—No individual in the custody or under the effective control of an element of the intelligent community or instrumentality thereof, regardless of nationality or physical location, shall be subject to any treatment or physical location, shall be subject to any treatment of technique of interrogation not authorized by the United Sates Army Field Manual on Human Intelligence Collector operations. (b) Instrumentality Defined.—In this section, the term “Instrumentality”, with respect to an element of intelligence community, means a contractor of subcontractor at any tier of the element of the intelligence community.[2]

The president’s reason for his veto is that this bill “would impede the United States Government’s efforts to protect the American people effectively from terrorist attacks and other threats because it imposes several unnecessary and unacceptable burdens on our Intelligence Community. “[3]

His response, however, clearly did not put an end to the public debate on the morality of torture.

On December 10, 1984 the text of the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment for Punishment was approved by the United Nations General Assembly.

Article 1 defines torture as

any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him [her] or a third person information or a confession, punishing him [her] for an act he [she] or a third person, for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent of acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.[4]

The document’s following 29 articles strongly defend the human rights of the victims to prevent any type of cruel and inhumane treatment.

Torture can be found all over the world. It is not only sanctioned by Nations on the political scene but also is found on all levels of society, including domestic family violence. It is widespread and systematic. The exercise of torture is non-discriminatory. It includes victims of all ages (children, adults and elderly), races, religions, political, social, economic status.

The aim of torture is to “weaken victims, invade, undermine and destroy personality.”[5] It is imposed deliberately and arbitrarily. The victims are tortured to extract information from victims; to intimidate and to install fear in individuals and civilians; to punish; and to force confessions. It can also be used as a form of entertainment.[6] The experience of Abu Graib provides a clear example of torturing just for the fun of it.