WE USUALLY think of harsh interrogation and torture as exclusive to dictatorships or hard-line regimes. Not so. Such practices are shockingly common in many democracies – we just don’t notice because under the spotlight of human rights monitors, torturers have refined their techniques so victims have no visible scars. For military and civilian interrogators in many places, “clean” techniques such as electro-torture, forced standing and water-boarding (which simulates drowning) have become the norm.
This revelation comes from Darius Rejali, who has spent the past 20 years researching modern torture around the world (see “Interview: Darius Rejali”). It is especially pertinent…
