Tuesday, February 20, 2007

TORTURE - IT'S MORE THAN A WORD. IT'S AN ABOMINATION!

"U.N. Peacekeepers hold Somali child over a fire!"


Friends, these ugly scenes demonstrate aspects of torture. Neither of them show lots of blood, broken limbs, torn flesh which is more usual when people are being tortured. The top one shows that even those supposed to be the guardians of human rights are not above torture. The bottom one shows a woman (her face hidden) held against her will by a group of soldiers, being assaulted, her privacy invaded, her dignity shattered.

In both cases, are they trying to find something out about the person's family, relatives or friends? Are they trying to force the person to admit to things they haven't done? Or are they just enjoying the power they have and allowing the evil and cruelty inside them to reign supreme?

Who knows what the outcome of these scenes of barbarity was? For the child, was it first degree burns? For the woman possibly rape at the least or forced circumcision, probably far worse. We'll never know.

Torture, whether in a field or in a cell or a specially constructed torture room, always involves a helpless victim, extreme brutality of one form or another inflicted by several people, horrendous pain, horror, screaming...

To find the above, I went through many photographs on Google Images (torture) which sickened me. I don't have a very high opinion of most of the human race at the best of times. It has suffered a further decline.

Torture reveals things about ourselves that most don't want to know about. But when torture is routinely being used now by people from so-called democracies (and they are happily packing people off to places which allow extreme torture) the writing is on the wall for all of us!

Torture must be banned! We can't afford to let more of the ugly genie out of our lamp!


8 comments:

EarthCitizen #23 said...

Yes, people must stand up to this creeping evil that has damaged the meaning of democracy. We have lowered ourselves to the level of the Terrorist doing such deeds.
We have trusted one Taliban to rid us of another. The fiction of these 'world wide' networks is obvious, it is a world of 6+Billion people and they have us scared worldwide over the actions of 10 to 20 men training in Afganistan????? Really what was the CIA for again??
Worthless lot of 'leaders'

Daniel said...

Torture demonstrates how close we are to savages, Scott! All of our 'sophistication' is simply a veneer that hides the ugliness and cruelty underneath.

People like you give us hope! Cheers!

Falling on a bruise said...

UN Peacekeepers. Unbelievable and so soul destroying to see them acting like that.

Daniel said...

I found that photograph even more disturbing than the other, Lucy. They are supposed to be the 'goodies' after all.

But then, so are the Americans!

Anonymous said...

I'm shocked also! And in tears at seeing these photos....How in hell do WE stop this barbarity?

Daniel said...

Unfortunately, Zoe, people like us hate such things but the people who carry them out don't care.

And the people who are apathetic or ignorant about such matters are unlikely to read this blog. How can you reach the latter group and change their attitudes? To them torture means nothing.

Voice said...

The untold crimes of the UN "Peacekeepers". Yah they now attempt to hold the peace in any way possible!

Daniel said...

It's a shattering photo, Damian. Who can we trust?

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