History & Society
torture
Category:
History & Society
- Key People:
- Klaus Barbie
- Elizabeth Báthory
- Prospero Farinacci
- Related Topics:
- corporal punishment
- waterboarding
- rack
- ducking stool
Recent News
Mar. 21, 2024, 9:16 PM ET (AP)
White former officers get sentences of 10 to 40 years in torture of 2 Black men in Mississippi
Mar. 20, 2024, 10:51 PM ET (AP)
Mississippi ex-deputy gets 40-year sentence as judge decries brutal attack on 2 Black men
Mar. 19, 2024, 10:47 PM ET (AP)
Mississippi ‘Goon Squad’ deputies get yearslong sentences for racist torture of 2 Black men
Mar. 18, 2024, 5:10 PM ET (AP)
2 Black men tortured by Mississippi officers call for toughest sentences
torture, the infliction of severe physical or mental pain or suffering for a purpose, such as extracting information, coercing a confession, or inflicting punishment. It is normally committed by a public official or other person exercising comparable power and authority. Although the effectiveness of torture has been defended by many throughout history, notably Aristotle and Sir Francis Bacon, it was attacked as early as Roman times for encouraging its victims to lie. In ancient Greece and Rome, physical torture was lawfully used, usually on noncitizens or slaves, as a means of obtaining information or confessions. Later, in early medieval Europe, ...(100 of 1578 words)