Charges are flying between Iran, Britain and the United States over who is lying. Iranians seized in Iraq charge that US personnel tortured them. Freed British naval personnel assert Iranians psychologically tortured them.
Easter Sunday and current news make one ponder the relationship between belief and torture.
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I believe we cannot tolerate its use on anyone, for any reason, for if we do we make ourselves and our loved ones subject to its use. But most people believe no such thing, and torture essentially boils down to belief.
Physical torture often leads not to truth but agreement to anything captors want just so the torture stops. Then, having "proof" of guilt, the torturers claim the ends justifies the means.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=5&art_id=42062&sid=13076551&con_type=1&d_str=20070412Personally, I should add, I believe the reason authoritarian governments like torture is precisely because using it they can force any result they like. It has nothing to do with finding the truth.
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