George Harrison's music was used as torture device in Augusto Pinochet's Chile
George Harrison's music was used as torture device in Augusto Pinochet's Chile
11 Sep 2013 00:00
By Jonathan Symcox
"Played at intensely high volumes for days on end, the otherwise popular songs were used to inflict psychological and physical damage"
The music of Beatle George Harrison and Spanish crooner Julio Iglesias was used to "inflict psychological and physical damage" on prisoners in dictator Augusto Pinochet's Chile, according to a new study.
Pinochet, who seized power as part of a military coup 40 years ago today and died in 2006, regularly tortured political opponents with songs such as Harrison's My Sweet Lord and the soundtrack to A Clockwork Orange.
"Music brought prisoners together because it was a way to deal with their terrible suffering," said University of Manchester researcher Dr Katia Chornik. "But music was also a form of testimony. Many prisoners did not officially exist, so many were to disappear without trace and songs were a way of remembering who they were and what they believed in.
"Pinochet's system also used music to indoctrinate detainees, as a form of punishment and a soundtrack to torture.
"Played at intensely high volumes for days on end, the otherwise popular songs were used to inflict psychological and physical damage."
More:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/george-harrisons-music-used-torture-2265137#ixzz2ebHBij2A