The Business of Torture

When the United States began to use so-called enhanced interrogation techniques that included torture, they stumbled upon a new set of opportunities and added value. The country became a key player in the torture trade, which meant it could profit from the process and provide governments around the world with intelligence services. This article takes an in-depth look at how American companies profited from torturing people.

This is an informative and factual blog post about America’s involvement in Torture. The Business of Torture will explore how American Companies gained wealth through supplying countries with information on human rights violations and selling weapons that were used or would be used to carry out torture methods on prisoners held by these countries. This may have been done to help promote economic growth, but from a human rights perspective, it is not an acceptable practice.

This article will discuss the various ways in which U.S businesses profited from Torturing people, and in doing so discussed the business of torture. The Business of Torture will also look at the methods by which companies may have influenced countries towards applying certain torture techniques on prisoners held by them. This article will also explore how American companies such as Blackwater earned hundreds of millions of dollars from supplying these governments with weapons and intelligence gathering equipment that were used in the process of torturing their prisoners.

Torture is defined as “the inflicting of severe pain (as punishment or to force someone to do or say something, or for pleasure)”. Torture is used to extract information from prisoners, punish them and also corrupt their morals. The use of torture by regimes can be morally justified in certain circumstances, if the purpose is to prevent a larger harm from occurring and the person being tortured has some sort of dissociation from the victim. In other cases, torture does not have any moral justification as it may be carried out for sadistic enjoyment.

In order for  someone to receive a patent for their invention, they must first apply with a patent office such as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. For example, if you were to invent a new set of can openers, you would need to first register this invention with the USPTO before you could be granted a patent. One of the processes involved in obtaining a patent is drafting an original specification that is detailed on the use your invention in question.

In order to obtain your USPTO patent, you must provide details on how the invention works, how it is improved upon and how it may be used by others. An example of information needed in addition to your invention’s claims would include what type of materials were used to make your product as well as instructions for its manufacturing process.

Once your patent has been approved, it is legally binding and you may sell or distribute your product freely. If anyone were to use your invention without paying royalties or obtain a copyright, you could then seek legal action against the person in question. This would allow you to potentially receive monetary damages in addition to monetary penalties.

Extensive torture of prisoners occurred during World War II but was most prevalent in the 1960s and 1970s. There was more resistance against torture by governments during this time period as people were still coming to terms with what had happened during World War II. The torture of prisoners then seemed less likely as there was more awareness of its negative effects throughout the world.

As with most business occupations or industries, Torture and torture related weapons was a lucrative business to enter into. Torture is usually carried out by third world governments against political prisoners in their countries, often taking place in secret locations such as hidden premises or underground bunkers. So-called “torture factories” were often used to carry out the process of torture starting with prisons then moving to other places including “torture chambers” made of concrete and iron.

The actual origins of torture can be traced back to the origin of the concept of democracy. The first recorded use of torture came from the Greek philosopher Socrates during his trial for corruption, that he denied committing . The purpose of Socrates’ trial was to find a scapegoat for the Greek defeat, and in order for this to be done he was interrogated for information on the war. Socrates denied all allegations and would not serve as a scapegoat for the Greeks failure. To ensure that he revealed his information, Socrates was punished by being forced to drink poison and die. This practice of using torture to force people into confession is still used today despite its negative moral impacts.

There have been many arguments against the use of torture carried out by governments on prisoners however with no sufficient outcome and countries continue to torture prisoners for various reasons. What the world must recognize is that torture does not serve any purpose for a country’s security and is not justified in any circumstance.

Effective torture techniques have been developed to help agencies break down prisoners. These techniques often lead to irreversible damage to prisoners which may later lead to psychological problems if the prisoner is released from prison. The U.S government itself has stated that “enhanced interrogation techniques” were in fact equated with torture and the US Supreme Court even outlawed these methods in 2005. The UCMJ of the U.S military states very clearly that "no method of force will ever be used so as to harm a prisoner or deny him medical treatment required for his care.” By equating these techniques with torture, the US government has made clear to all nation states that torture is illegal.

Israel has been accused of using torture techniques on Palestinian prisoners, which it denies and instead calls them “legal restraining measures”. These restraining measures include beatings, threats and sleep deprivation. These practices have been condemned by international human rights organizations and Amnesty International noted that they seemed to have been carried out by the Israeli authorities as a "deliberate policy", which seems to be a violation of Israel's obligations under international human rights law.

The United Nations has repeatedly called for the banning of torture and has even set up an official committee to investigate the use of torture by regimes. The committee found that “torture is endemic in many parts of the world” and has recommended in various reports that international law must be amended to ensure that no government can carry out torture or offer to carry out torture for another government. Despite this, governments continue to ignore these recommendations and few other countries have followed suit although there have been some attempts in Western Europe and Central America.

The United States government has made some effort by passing a Detainee Treatment Act which was enacted on December 28, 2005. This act states that “no individual in U.S. custody, whether detained within or outside the United States, shall be subjected to any form of physical brutality and mistreatment” however it does not state what constitutes “physical brutality and mistreatment”.

The act does allow for “detainees” to be held in non-custodial settings when it is deemed necessary and also allows for the use of “administrative segregation,” which is a type of solitary confinement where prisoners are kept in their cell for 23 hours a day with only a single meal given to them. This measure was created in response to abuse allegations that occurred during the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, many of which were reported in the media.

Conclusion

It is justifiable to argue that developments in torture techniques have been made possible through the use of science and its many inventions throughout the centuries. It is also clear to see that science has been used as an excuse for torture when people try to justify why torture should be carried out; whether it is done in the name of democracy, religion or the “greater good”. Although this has occurred frequently, science has also helped humans understand why they should oppose torture and while many people do oppose it, a vast number of countries still condone this form of punishment.