The Justice Department and the UN Conventions against Torture

The definition of torture according to www.dictionary.com is as follows:

tor·ture

   /ˈtɔrtʃər/ Show Spelled [tawr-cher] Show IPA noun, verb, tor·tured, tor·tur·ing.

noun

1.

the act of inflicting excruciating pain, as punishment or revenge, as a means of getting a confession or information, or for sheer cruelty.

2.

a method of inflicting such pain.

3.

Often, tortures. the pain or suffering caused or undergone.

4.

extreme anguish of body or mind; agony.

5.

a cause of severe pain or anguish.

 

This would be the definition in question with regards to the Justice Department and how the U.S. military would interpret the ability interrogate detainees held at Abu Ghraib in an effort to obtain intelligence.

 

 

 

John Yoo and the Justice Department claim that the terms severe and pain are too loosely defined under the statutes in the UN Conventions. This was their argument in advocating the methods used at Abu Ghraib on detainees. In a memo to the White House, the pain inflicted on the detainees should be equivalent to that associated with organ failure or even death.

Critics were blown away at this information. Advocating this type of behavior was no different than the torture used on prisoners by Saddam Hussein under his evil regime.