The method is as old as humanity itself and as reliable as a Swiss clockwork: torture. In order to obtain information that the victim never voluntarily divulges, the cruel practice is still maintained in the 21st century. But compared to the dark age of the Inquisition, today it is even more perfidious – in many cases almost invisible.
„I have bad news for you, I’m not your friend, I’m not going to help you – I’m going to break you.“ Over the face of prisoner Ammar lies a damp rag, his pulse racing, he has not eaten properly for days, He’s drunk, slept, his hands are tied, his breathing is heavy as CIA agent Dan sits down on his chest, and suddenly Ammar swallows water, he thinks he’s drowning, he panics – can not free himself. „Who’s in the Saudi What’s the goal of the attack? When did you last see bin Laden? „Dan yells as he slowly lets the prisoner run water on his covered face.
„Ultimately, everyone breaks“ (CIA agent Dan, Zero Dark Thirty)
The oppressive torture scene from the movie „Zero Dark Thirty“ is by no means just the artistic freedom of director Kathryn Bigelow sprung. Waterboarding is the torture method that simulates drowning the prisoner. It was a common practice in America’s war on terror to obtain information about Osama Bin Laden. The damp cloth, which is placed over the victim’s face, makes every attempt to fetch air impossible. The tortured person is then so traumatized that sooner or later he tells his tormentors what they want to hear from him.
Waterboarding is just one of many torture methods that are still on the agenda around the world today. Reading the latest report by the human rights organization Amnesty International, torture has been used in 141 countries over the last five years, including Mexico, the Philippines, Uzbekistan and Nigeria. Officially, the laws of these countries do not allow torture as a means to an end, although they rarely seriously prosecute torture allegations. For example, the court in Nigeria accepts information that has been blackmailed by threatened or perpetrated violence.
Situations, such as those between CIA agent Dan and Ammar, illustrate how the perfidious mechanism of torture works: First, a spatial and physical violence between the torturer and the victim is established. In the film, Ammar lies tied up on the hard concrete floor and is completely at the mercy of his tormenter Dan, who also kneels on Ammar’s chest. This is followed by the main part of the torture: the infliction of physical and / or mental pain. In waterboarding, Ammar struggles with both: The water penetrates painfully into his lungs and his frantic panic robs him of any clear thought. Finally, the entire procedure normally serves a specific purpose, usually the acquisition of information – at „Zero Dark Thirty“ the whereabouts of bin Laden.
Torture has two sides: one visible and one invisible. Whereas electric shocks, rape and burns leave visible marks on the body of the person who has been violated, psychological cruelty burns on the soul of the victim alone. Common practices of so-called „white torture“ include, for example, sleep deprivation, mock executions, prohibition of toilets or noise torture. The latter is often associated with sleep deprivation, as the tortured are blasted with loud rock or heavy metal music, making it impossible for the victim to fall asleep. Unlike the martial times of the Inquisition, mental torture methods are usually used today. Sometimes these are even individually tailored to the person to be tortured.
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