Torture 

Abstract: Torture and Its Definition in International Law—An Interdisciplinary Approach was edited by Metin Basoglu, and written by him and another sixteen experts in the medicolegal aspects of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment (CIDT/P). The book has 506 pages and 16 chapters, which are organised into four parts: “Behavioral Science Perspectives”; “International Law Perspectives”; “Enhanced Interrogation Techniques: Definitional Issues”; and “Discussion and Conclusions”. The book is for health, legal and human rights professionals, beyond just those just working with victims of torture and CIDT/P, and is of interest to those who work with victims of other violent crimes, such as child abuse, interpersonal abuse, and forced displacement. The book raises many important questions.

Abstract: We already have more than twenty-five years of academic research on migration and torture; the field has developed into an increasingly complex one since the first descriptive and epidemiological studies. This Editorial puts forward a conceptual map for helping to understand migration and torture and introduces the collection of papers in this issue of the Torture Journal.

Abstract: Background: The National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs conducted a large voluntary research project among torture rehabilitation centers in the United States (US). Its goal is to fill the void in the literature on demographic and diagnostic data of torture survivors across a large country. Methods: Twenty-three centers across the US collaborated over six years, utilizing training and making decisions via conference calls and webinars. A data use agreement signed by all the participating centers governed plans and the use of the data. Findings: This study reports on torture survivors from 125 countries, 109 of which signed the United Nations Convention against Torture (UNCAT). Of the 9,025 torture survivors represented, most came from Africa and Asia and reported an average of 3.5 types of torture. Asylum seekers have different immigration experiences and show significantly higher rates of major depressive disorder (MDD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than refugees. Torture survivors at high risk of PTSD and MDD in this sample reported three or more types of torture, reported rape and had the immigration status of asylum seeker. At one and two years after beginning treatment, both asylum seekers and refugees reported increased rates of employment and improvements in their immigration status. Interpretation: This longitudinal project provides basic data on a large number of torture survivors who accessed services in the US, and provides a foundation for long-term follow up on immigration status, employment status, diagnostic status, medical diagnoses, and eventually, the effectiveness of treatment for torture survivors in the US. This article shares demographic and diagnostic findings useful for informing programmatic and policy decisions. However, these findings on refugees and asylum seekers in the US may not reflect the experience in other receiving countries. Collaboration with other researchers across continents is required to provide a much needed, more complete picture of torture survivors seeking rehabilitation across the world.

Abstract: 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.