Appendix: U.S. Criticisms of Mistreatment and Torture Practices

Burma

According to a State Department country report, the Burmese military “routinely subjected detainees to harsh interrogation techniques designed to intimidate and disorient.”¹³¹ Techniques listed include being forced to squat or remain in uncomfortable periods for long periods of time, sleep and food deprivation, confinement in leg clamps, and prolonged questioning under bright lights.¹³²

Cambodia

The State Department reported that “torture, beatings, and other forms of physical mistreatment of persons held in police or military custody continued to be a serious problem throughout the country.”¹³³ In particular, the State Department noted that “there were credible reports that both military police and police officials used physical and psychological torture and severely beat criminal detainees, particularly during interrogation.”¹³⁴ It also noted reports of shackling of prisoners.

Cameroon

The State Department reported that “security forces continued to subject prisoners and detainees to degrading treatment,” which included stripping of inmates.¹³⁵

China

The State Department reported that “police and other elements of the security apparatus employed torture and degrading treatment in dealing with some detainees and prisoners” including prolonged periods of solitary confinement, incommunicado detention, beatings, and shackling.¹³⁶ Reports noted that the practice of shackling hands and feet constituted torture.¹³⁷

Egypt

The State Department noted that “there were numerous, credible reports that security forces tortured and mistreated citizens.”¹³⁸ The country reports cite the stripping, handcuffing, being doused with cold water, and blindfolding of prisoners among the principal methods of torture used by Egyptian authorities.¹³⁹

Greece

In a 2002 report, the State Department described kicks, blows the hands, fists, batons or other objects and excessive force at the time of arrest as “ill treatment.”¹⁴⁰

Iran

According to the State Department “there were numerous credible reports that security forces and prison personnel continued to torture detainees and prisoners.”¹⁴¹ Common methods of torture include sleep deprivation and “suspension for long periods in contorted positions.”¹⁴² The State Department further noted that systematic abuses included “prolonged and incommunicado detention.”¹⁴³

Iraq

Iraqi security services used extended solitary confinement in small dark compartments as a form of torture, according to 2001 and 2002 reports.¹⁴⁴ Reports from 2000, 2001, and 2002 also cite the use of prolonged and incommunicado detention and the continual denial of citizens’ “basic right to due process.”¹⁴⁵

Jordan

The State Department reports that Jordanian police and security forces were alleged to engage in acts of torture, including the use of sleep deprivation, solitary confinement, and prolonged suspension with ropes in contorted positions.¹⁴⁶

North Korea

The State Department stated that methods of torture “routinely” employed in North Korea include “severe beatings . . . prolonged periods of exposure, humiliations such as public nakedness, and confinement to small ‘punishment cells’, in which prisoners were unable to stand upright or lie down, where they could be held for several weeks.”¹⁴⁷ The State Department characterized the use of leg irons, metal collars, and shackles as “harsh”.¹⁴⁸

Kuwait

According to the State Department reports, “there continued to be credible reports that some police and members of the security forces abused detainees during interrogation.”¹⁴⁹ Abusive treatment included blindfolding and verbal threats.¹⁵⁰

Laos

The State Department reported that prisoners were subjected to “torture and other abuses” including “beatings, long-term solitary confinement in completely darkened rooms . . . . In some cases detainees were held in leg chains or wooden stocks”.¹⁵¹

Libya

According to the State Department, Libyan authorities commonly chain detainees to a wall or hang them by their wrists for hours and deprive them of food and water.¹⁵² The State Department stated that “[t]he Government's human rights record remained poor, and it continued to commit numerous serious abuses,” examples of which included holding prisoners incommunicado.¹⁵³

Pakistan

The State Department reports that prolonged isolation, being chained to a cell wall, and denial of food or sleep are common torture methods.¹⁵⁴

Philippines

The State Department reported that “members of the security forces and police continued to use torture and to abuse suspects and detainees.” The State Department cited reports by a non-governmental organization stating that “torture remained an ingrained part of the arrest and detention process.” The State Department noted that common forms of torture and abuse reported during the arrest and detention process included striking detainees and threatening them with guns. The State Department also cited reports of detainees being tied up, blindfolded and punched during interrogations as cases of torture.¹⁵⁵

Russia

The State Department described forms of “torture” by police officers including beating with fists, batons or other objects.¹⁵⁶

Saudi Arabia

The State Department noted that Ministry of Interior officials use sleep deprivation and suspension from bars with handcuffs as interrogation tactics.¹⁵⁷

Sri Lanka

According to State Department reports, “torture continues with relative impunity.”¹⁵⁸ Reported methods of torture include suspension by the wrists or feet in contorted positions and being forced to remain in unnatural positions for extended periods.¹⁵⁹

Tunisia

Tactics such as food and sleep deprivation or confinement to a tiny, unlit cell are commonly used in Tunisia.¹⁶⁰ In addition, the State Department notes that despite the shortening by Tunisian government of the maximum allowable period of pre-arraignment incommunicado detention from 10 to 6 days, “credible sources claimed that the Government rarely enforces the new provisions and that appeals to the court for enforcement are routinely denied.”¹⁶¹

Turkey

According to the 2001 and 2002 country reports, some of the many methods of torture employed by Turkish security forces and recognized by the State Department included repeated beatings; forced prolonged standing; isolation; exposure to loud music; stripping and blindfolding; food and sleep deprivation; and psychological torture including verbal threats and deception of a detainee, for example, instilling a false belief that the detainee is to be killed.¹⁶²

Yemen

According to the State Department, detainees in Yemen have been confined in leg irons and shackles despite a 1998 law banning the practice.¹⁶³