Torturing.net

Edited by Verónica Hinestroza Arenas (IBAHRI), Fabio de Sa e Silva and Par Engstrom, the book is divided into two parts: part 1 examines the significant gaps that exist between the formal commitments of Latin American states to the eradication of torture and the practice of torture in the region. The authors – Gaia Pergolo, Mr Sa e Silva, Andra...

The Open Society Institute joins leading human rights organizations in calling on U.S. Attorney General Holder to release a Bush administration report investigating the approval of torture by Justice Department lawyers. The report highlights the findings of a Justice Department investigation examining whether legal advice sanctioning torture was consistent with professional ethical standards. The Open Society Institute, along with 12...

Washington, D.C. – President Obama today signed into law an updated defense authorization bill that includes a landmark provision reinforcing the United States’ ban on the use of torture. Human Rights First notes, however, that other provisions in the bill will severely hamper the president’s ability to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay by the end of his term in...

Torture is the intentional infliction of severe mental or physical pain or suffering, by or with the approval of state agents. Torture breaks people’s bodies and minds, rips apart communities, and destroys democratic institutions and the rule of law. Since our founding in 1986, PHR’s core mission has included investigating, documenting, and reporting the devastating consequences of torture on individuals,...