Purpose is a constitutive element of torture under article 1 the UN Convention Against Torture (UNCAT). It increasingly and widely accepted as being determinative aggravating factor differentiating between forms cruel, inhuman degrading treatment or punishment (hereafter “CIDTP” “ill-treatment”). Compared to depth discussion on other elements such severity pain suffering official capacity , dim...

Anatomy of Torture. By Ron E. Hassner. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2022. 200p. $27.95 cloth. - Tortured Logic: Why Some Americans Support the Use Torture in Counterterrorism. Erin M. Kearns and Joseph K. Young. New York: Columbia 2020. 336p. 105.00 Volume 20 Issue 4

Editor's note Sadly, Dr3John Dawson died on the 20th ofDecember 1990. For manyyears Dr Dawson had extensive interest and involvement, via his position at the Bn'tish Medical Association, with a number ofnational and international groups devoted to tackling the problems associated with 'torture and the medical profession'. He was instumental in the production ofthe firstBMA Torture Report and, a...

Survivors of torture and refugee trauma often have increased needs for mental and physical healthcare. This is due in part to the complex sequelae of trauma, including chronic pain, major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and somatization. This article reviews the scientific medical literature for the efficacy and feasibility of some complementary and alternative medicin...

Asylum seekers flee their countries in search of safety due to persecution at home. Characteristics were assessed of 134 consecutive asylum seekers who sought mental health services at a program caring for survivors of torture and refugee trauma, using a chart review of patients seen between January 1999 and December 2002. Two-thirds of the sample were female, and 82% came from Africa. Eighty-f...

Background: Iraqi political prisoners were subjected to regular physical and psychological torture. Both physical and psychological torture methods were associated with increased PTSD symptoms, especially when combined. In Iraq, several articles were published on PTSD, but no study was focused on former political prisoners or torture victims. Therefore, this study was carried out to estimate ra...