​​​​​​​​​​Torture
Norway
 

Definitions of Torture

 

"it can be said that torture is the intentional infliction of severe mental or physical pain or suffering by or with the consent of the state authorities for a specific purpose." -IRCT International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims

"Torture is the systematic and deliberate infliction of acute pain by one person on another, or on a third person, in order to accomplish the purpose of the former against the will of the latter." -Amnesty International

"... 'torture' means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.”
-Article 1 of the United Nations Convention Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT)

 

 

 

 

 

"Torture is the most serious violation of a person's fundamental right topersonal integrity

and a pathological form of human interaction"
Encyclopedia of Psychological Trauma

 

 

 

 

 

 

"No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

-Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 5

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Torture and cruel and inhumane treatment has been used by authorities throughout time as a means of degrading targeted individuals, through suppression and intimidation, often aimed to hold political opposition at bay by spreading fear in the population.

Torture targets to destroy the dignity of a person, and leave the victims suffer deeply affecting long-term effects.

 

In Norway we see widespread examples of torture carried out by government employees and others acting in official capacity, as solitary confinement in institutions as prisons, institutions for children and psychiatry, forced medication, strapping of body, long term harassment, forceful removal of children from their parents, separation of family members, enforced disappearance, rape, forced abortion, hanging from feet, denial of food, water, warmth and medical  care in confinement, police brutality, violence carried forth by child welfare employees, workers at institutions for children and foster-care,  as well as other brutal torture tactics, often committed on a long term basis towards a victim.

Other coercive and degrading tactics are also used to further intimidate the victims, as  violation of privacy, as access to medical files and entering property without court order, arbitrary confiscation of property, filming, threats, arbitrary arrest, arbitrary interrogation, stripping and photographing, forced, medical examinations, attacks on freedom of expression and opinion, financial attacks, attacks on name and reputation, as well as denial of legal protection and the right to appeal.

Many of the victims are children and women, as well as persons with disabilities.

 

 

Consequences of torture and degrading treatment:

"The consequences of torture reach far beyond immediate pain. Many victims suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which includes symptoms such as flashbacks (or intrusive thoughts), severe anxiety, insomnia, nightmares, depression and memory lapses.

 

Torture victims often feel guilt and shame, triggered by the humiliation they have endured. Many feel that they have betrayed themselves or their friends and family. All such symptoms are normal human responses to abnormal and inhuman treatment."

 

 

 

 

The Convention against Torture:

 

Victims of torture and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment or punishment, have a right to individualized help and redress, which Norway is obligated to ensure as a state party to the Convention against Torture, a longside with their obligation to abolish illtreatment of people within the country's boundaries, including education of personell.
The Convention against Torture also underlines the importance of prosecution of persons guilty of committing torture.