Widely accepted definitions of torture encompass both physical and mental pain and suffering. Torture or exposure to torture has long-term psychological or physical effects. It is regarded as one of the most extreme forms of victimization human beings can experience. Against all moral principles and religious teachings, torture has persisted from ancient times and been used to punish, coerce and extract information. In spite of the ingenuity and cruelty of past torture methods, the 20th and 21st century can seem the most ruthless and savage of all times because of the way pain, suffering and damage of all kinds have been inflicted on the masses. Torture is not only used to force a person to yield information but also to break down an opponent's integrity so that that person can then be used to spread terror throughout the community.Nowadays, definitions of torture are becoming increasingly varied, even though international law defines it very clearly. Contemporary administrations show a regrettable ambiguity regarding the definitions and prosecution of torture.
The overwhelming majority of the parents of my generation in Turkey were not schooled to any great degree. They did not receive higher education but had the decency to raise their children well. We grew up listening to events and morals within the prophetic tradition of Islam; we learned, say, that when a woman confined her pet in her house without food and water and the pet perished painfully, as a punishment she deserved hellfire. We were all warned not to make any threatening gesture with a sharp object because to do so is forbidden and punished in religion, not to give a knife, a pair of scissors or any pointed household objects to a person with its pointed tip turned toward the other person as it is not only dangerous but also intimidating and so punishable according to Islam. So we grew up knowing that we should not frighten or harm people and that for any act that may be perceived as frightening or harmful we are accountable. In this context, it is easy to see how falsely recently emerged radicals interpret religious elements while defending their own violent ideologies and atrocities.
Alarmingly, with the advent of the 21st century, we see contemporary people and administrations growing more subjective and less civilized in terms of the definition and effects of torture. From the Nazi and communist camps of the past to recent events in Bosnia, Congo and Rwanda, administrations have become more cunning and cruel but less accountable in the foreign and domestic spheres with respect to the full range of physical, psychological and social suffering they have inflicted on their own and other peoples. In their rhetoric, torture becomes “aggressive interrogation techniques” or “detention procedures.” Some dire acts and methods are simply never recognized in their political theory and jargon as torture. Torture is all too often not truly about eliciting information but about breaking an individual's humanity and dignity. Enduring such ill treatment makes individuals feel there is no meaning in living or life in general.
Empirical research shows that psychological manipulation, including different forms of deprivation and sexual humiliation, causes as much mental distress and trauma as physical torture. They also cause distress and trauma at similar rates and to similar extents. The empirical evidence defies the vague distinctions and labels of the jargon used in endless and inconclusive political discussions to obscure the truth.
The cases of innocent people who are held and subjected to harsh treatment under authoritarian regimes which fail to prove that such people have been engaged in any terrorist activities is also a serious matter hurting the common conscience all over the world. Whether the victim is innocent or not, torture is inhumane, unethical and immoral. Furthermore, torture survivors rarely get the mental and medical health treatment they need. Moreover, torturers are themselves at increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder. They also need care and treatment afterwards. The latest example of this is the confession of an officer from a Central Asian country carried by the BBC this week.
Again this week, on a CNN program about the ongoing war in Afghanistan, some war correspondents made the point that younger generations witnessing all this war in Afghanistan and elsewhere ought to be provided with a sound education so that they will not engage in violence and terrorism and fall into the hands of extremists and radicals afterwards. In the same way, some journalists and authorities in Turkey, as a remedy to the ongoing conflict in southeast Turkey, are arguing for the provision of a sound education for young people and advocating for the involvement of peaceful civic initiatives like the Gülen movement against violence, radicalism and fundamentalism. Instead of going round and round again, every cycle worse than the last, it is time to break the breaking wheel.
