More than Lack of Capacity: Active Impunity in Mexico
0
Citation
27
Reference
10
Related Paper
Abstract:
Abstract Mexico faces a severe crisis of violations of physical integrity rights. In the past fifteen years, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, over one hundred thousand have disappeared, and torture continues to be widespread. Observers emphasize the role of impunity as a critical causal factor. Negligence and lack of capacity have been considered as causes of impunity. This article elaborates the role of ‘active impunity’, understood as the deliberate efforts by investigative authorities to undermine criminal investigations on cases of human rights violations. Observing 12 cases of violations of physical integrity rights in Mexico, occurring between 2008 and 2021 in seven states of the country, the article shows that active impunity takes place and identifies some of the mechanism through which it is produced.Keywords:
Impunity
Torture
Topics:
Torture critics have offered two types of arguments in the hope of swaying public opinion against torture: A pragmatic (consequentialist) argument that “torture doesn’t work” and a moral (deontological) argument about the immorality and cruelty of torture. I present findings from two survey experiments about public support for torture among U.S. adults. The great majority of the respondents in these surveys did not endorse pragmatic arguments. They believed that torture was a quick and effective means of extracting information from detainees who had information about terror attacks. Respondents were unpersuaded by the suggestion that evidence extracted by means of torture might be fragmentary, outdated, or merely corroborative. However, when respondents were informed about the protracted nature of torture, which often requires weeks or months of interrogation before yielding results, their support for torture was lower by 14% in one survey and by 30% in a second survey. Survey participants refused to endorse prolonged torture not because they perceived torture to be ineffective, but because they felt that prolonged torture was cruel. Torture critics would be well advised to steer away from less persuasive arguments about torture inefficacy and instead confront audiences with sobering truths about the cruelty of torture.
Torture
Interrogation
Cruelty
Argument (complex analysis)
Cite
Citations (2)
Abstract It is often assumed that if killing during war can be justified, then torture that does not kill also can. But torture constitutes merciless assault upon someone utterly defenceless because an effort to ‘surrender’ by providing the information sought may always be ruled by the torturer to be insufficient. Torture has different purposes, and terroristic torture is distinguished from interrogational. The ticking bomb scenario (TBS) used to defend torture ignores the terroristic variety and wildly misleads concerning interrogational torture by incorporating multiple false assumptions: the torturers have the right person, the torture victim provides timely accurate information, only torture could obtain the information, and, most importantly, torture will be rare. Practical ethics depends on examining actual practices.
Torture
Surrender
Cite
Citations (3)
This work updates the information reported in GII 2015. It extends the sample of countries analyzed to 69, including for the first time cases from Africa. The study measures the degrees of impunity in a comparative way, emphasizing the structure and functioning of the justice and security systems, as well as respect for human rights. The main findings include the existence of very high levels of impunity in Latin America and reaffirms the very high levels of impunity found in 2015 for the Philippines and Mexico.
Impunity
Cite
Citations (1)
Impunity
Language Change
Cite
Citations (1)
Does torture "work?" Can controversial techniques such as waterboarding extract crucial and reliable intelligence? Since 9/11, this question has been angrily debated in the halls of power and the court of public opinion. In Anatomy of Torture , Ron E. Hassner mines the archives of the Spanish Inquisition to propose an answer that will frustrate and infuriate both sides of the divide. The Inquisition's scribes recorded every torment, every scream, and every confession in the torture chamber. Their transcripts reveal that Inquisitors used torture deliberately and meticulously, unlike the rash, improvised torture the US used after 9/11. Hassner shows that the Inquisition tortured in cold blood, treating any information extracted with caution. Torture was used to test information provided through other means, not to uncover startling new evidence. Hassner's findings in Anatomy of Torture have important implications for ongoing torture debates. Rather than insist that torture is ineffective, torture critics should focus their attention on the morality of torture. If torture is evil, its efficacy is irrelevant. At the same time, torture defenders cannot advocate for torture as a counterterrorist "quick fix": torture has never, nor will ever, locate the hypothetical "ticking bomb" that is frequently invoked to justify brutality in the name of security.
Torture
Cite
Citations (0)
The author starts from the definition of torture regulated in convention against torture and other cruel,inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and makes a deep analysis of the nature of torture,and draws three conclusions in the followings: torture is a behavior that seriously violates human rights;torture is a behavior that abuses the power of state;and torture in modern times is a crime.The author hopes that through the excavation of the nature of torture,.we will deepen the understanding of the behavior of torture and promote the realization of the purpose of anti-torture.
Torture
Punishment (psychology)
Cite
Citations (0)
Torture
Interrogation
Cite
Citations (0)
Torture has existed in the society for time immemorial.In older days torture of alleged criminals, spies, andpolitical prisoners was considered acceptable, but todayin modern civilized society torture in any form forwhatever motive, is considered a crime and universallycondemned. Torture infliction is still prevalent in someform or the other all over the world. According toAmnesty International, the worldwide organization thatmonitors human rights violation, torture is practiced in65 out of 144 countries and is on the rise. Notsurprisingly, in its annual report issued by the UN ontorture 1997, India appears in the list of 29 countries,where torture is fairly extensive,Medical profession and human rights are closelyrelated. Usually doctors are the first ones to come incontact with torture survivors thus can alleviate violationof human rights. Torture Medicine is an evolving branchof clinical Forensic Medicine dealing with medicolegaland ethical aspects of torture.
Torture
Cite
Citations (2)
The nationally-recognized Susquehanna
Chorale will delight audiences of all
ages with a diverse mix of classic and
contemporary pieces. The ChoraleAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂA¢AÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂs
performances have been described
as AÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂA¢AÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂemotionally unfiltered, honest
music making, successful in their
aim to make the audience feel,
to be moved, to be part of the
performance - and all this while
working at an extremely high
musical level.AÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂA¢AÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂAÂA Experience choral
singing that will take you to new
heights!
Cite
Citations (0)
Does torture “work?” Can controversial techniques such as waterboarding extract crucial and reliable intelligence? Since 9/11, this question has been angrily debated in the halls of power and the court of public opinion. This book mines the archives of the Spanish Inquisition to propose an answer that will frustrate and infuriate both sides of the divide. The Inquisition's scribes recorded every torment, every scream, and every confession in the torture chamber. Their transcripts reveal that Inquisitors used torture deliberately and meticulously, unlike the rash, improvised methods used by the United States after 9/11. In their relentless pursuit of underground Jewish communities in Spain and Mexico, the Inquisition tortured in cold blood. But they treated any information extracted with caution: torture was used to test information provided through other means, not to uncover startling new evidence. The book's findings have important implications for ongoing torture debates. Rather than insist that torture is ineffective, torture critics should focus their attention on the morality of torture. If torture is evil, its efficacy is irrelevant. At the same time, torture defenders cannot advocate for torture as a counterterrorist “quick fix”: torture has never located, nor will ever locate, the hypothetical “ticking bomb” that is frequently invoked to justify brutality in the name of security.
Torture
Confession (law)
Interrogation
Cite
Citations (0)