Torture

Torture is the infliction of severe physical or psychological pain or grief as an expression of cruelty, a means of intimidation, deterrent, revenge or punishment, or as a tool for the extraction of information or confessions.

Torture devices and methods

It is plainly evident that, since the earliest times, tremendous ingenuity has been devoted to devising ever more effective and mechanically simpler instruments and techniques of torture. That those capable of applying such genius to the science of pain could in future employ their capabilities in other directions was not lost on the authorities: for example, after Perillos of Athens demonstrated his newly invented brazen bull to Phalaris, Tyrant of Agrigentum, Perillos himself was immediately put inside to test it, but he was removed before he died.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Torture does not require complex equipment. Several methods need little or no equipment and can even be improvised from innocuous household or kitchen equipment. Methods such as consumption by wild animals (antiquity), impalement (Middle Ages) or confinement in iron boxes in the tropical sun (World War II Asia), are examples of other methods which required little more than readily available items.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Torture using chemicals

Torture victims may be forced to ingest chemicals or other products (such as broken glass, heated water, or soaps) that cause pain and internal damage.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Irritating chemicals or products may be inserted into the rectum or vagina, or applied on the external genitalia. Cases of women being punished for adultery by having hot peppers inserted into their vaginas were reported in India. Similar means were used in many instances in African strife. It was widely accepted that during British rule over India, the police would make people confess by inserting chilies in various body orifices.

Related Topics:
Rectum - Vagina - Genitalia - Adultery - Hot pepper - India - Africa

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Electrical torture

A modern method of torture is to apply electrical shocks to the body. For added effects, torturers may apply the shocks to the genitalia or insert the electrode into the mouth, rectum or vagina.

Related Topics:
Electrode - Mouth

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Torture methods

• Bastinado
• Beatings and physical violence
• Boiling
• "The boats": see Scaphism
• The boot
• The Brazen bull
• Chinese Water Torture
• Denailing
• Disfigurement
• Drowning or Water cure
• Flagellation
• Flaying
• Foot roasting
• Solitary confinement
• Mancuerda
• Mock executions
• Peine forte et dure (Pressing)
• Pitchcapping
• Rape
• Scaphism
• Sensory deprivation
• Shabach technique
• Sleep deprivation
• Sound (Extremely high volumes, dynamic range, low frequency or noise intended to interfere with rest, cognition and concentration)
• The Spanish boot
• Squassation
• Strappado (also known as "reverse hanging" and "Palestinian hanging")
• Water boarding
• The water cure: see Drowning
• Whipping

Torture devices

• Brazen bull
• Breaking wheel
• Iron Maiden
• Judas Chair
• Peace breaker's muzzle
• Pear of Anguish
• Pillory
• Rack
• Scavenger's daughter
• Scold's bridle
• Spanish boot
• Stocks
• Tablillas
• Thumbscrew
• Tucker telephone

Methods of execution and capital punishment

Any method of execution which involves, or has the potential to involve, a great deal of pain or mutilation is considered to be torture and unacceptable to many who support capital punishment. Some of these, if halted soon enough, may not have fatal effects.

Related Topics:
Execution - Capital punishment

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Burning at the stake
• Beating (example: Bagram torture and prisoner abuse)
• Boiling to death
• Burial alive
• Roasting in the brazen bull
• Crucifixion
• Crushing
• Disembowelment
• Drawing and quartering
• Electric chair
• Gas chamber
• Hanging (if not done properly)
• Impaling
• Lethal injection (supposed to be next to painless, but agonizingly painful if the anaesthetic drugs fail to keep the paralysed victim unconscious as he/she dies)
• Sawing
• Stoning