Italians may make 'small doses' of torture legal

[kskiska]

Torture may be acceptable provided it is administered in small doses, says a bill under discussion in the Italian parliament that has outraged human rights organisations.

The Chamber of Deputies yesterday passed an amendment, tabled by the far-right Northern League, to the bill which opposition MPs denounced as a green light to "limited" torture but which government supporters said was essential for police.

(snip)

"We ... have to make it clear that we don't support those who want to criminalise the police, making their job practically impossible," said Carolina Lussana, the League MP who drafted the amendmen

Marco Bertotto, the chairman ofAmnesty International in Italy, said the law did not respect the terms of a United Nations convention on torture which was ratified by Italy in 1988.

more…
http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=788

[roguevalley]

1. Great. There goes a trip to Rome I have planned.

No Pompeii for me. Not if they're actually going to be open about it. Be like us, Italy. Lie about it.

[PartyPooper]

2. It sounds to me like some folks have been watching way too much US TV.

:eyes:

[Rex]

3. Idiots, torture is worthless in extracting the truth.

If a person is lying and is tortured then maybe they will fess up (depends on threshold to pain). If a person is telling the truth (but goes against what the torturer believes to be true) they will change their story and lie to cease the torture...in other words it's completely useless.

I give the doubt to whoever suggested this barbarism in Italy, so the real question is what's the true agenda?

[Mika]

11. But, it's great at extracting the needed confession..

.. valid or not.

[Dark]

12. A new Roman Empire!

. . . again.

[Mike Niendorff]

4. George and Silvio ...

... proud allies, leading the world forward into the 13th Century.


MDN

[saigon68]

7. NEXT THE RACK, THE GRIDDLE AND BOILING PITCH

oh bring back the dark ages

[daleo]

5. It is hard to say if this really means anything

"The Chamber of Deputies yesterday passed an amendment, tabled by the far-right Northern League, to the bill which opposition MPs denounced as a green light to "limited" torture but which government supporters said was essential for police."

It would be interesting to know what the actual legal process is in the Italian system, to bring a bill to law. Does this have to passed by another house? what about the courts? The article doesn't really provide a lot of context. I don't know much about the Italian system, but it sounds pretty tentative still.

[wtmusic]

6. A cattle prod here, a truncheon there

Who'll know the difference?

[ze_dscherman]

18. Just read what the Italian Carabinieri did at the G8 convention in Genoa

... that resulted in the killing of one protestor.

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engEUR300122001?Open

[Democat]

8. Doesn't the EU have something to say about this?

Can EU countries torture people?

[ze_dscherman]

17. I doubt Italy would remain a EU country then

We had a big discussion on the subject in Germany some time ago, when a senior police officer had ordered to threaten the kidnapper of a child with torture. He was fired then, but there were many people that had expressed torture or the threat of it would be valid in such cases.

In the discussed case it would have been useless, the boy already had been killed.

Regarding the proposed Italian law: I think it's just another effort of the Lega Norte, to score points at their fascist voters. These very people had also proposed to shoot at refugee ships.

Shame on those Italians who have voted for them or for Berlusconi, who sides with them.

[Rebel_with_a_cause]

9. Right. And I'm a little pregnant.

[saigon68]

10. Oh goody now my cousin can manufacture testicle crushers again

To be marketed by Halliburton and to be used by those professional fun guys at Blackwater Industries.

[bluestateguy]

13. Torture is unjustified 9999 times out of 10000

Only situations found in the show "24" might justify torture, and only to get information that is immediately necessary in a time sensitive situation when many lives are in immediate danger. That's pretty rare. Torture should never ever be used just for the sake of punishment.

[NNN0LHI]

14. So you have to do it 10,000 times before you find out if its worth it once?

Yea, that makes sense.

Don

[michaelwb]

15. just a

With apologies to Mary Poppins..

"Just a tiny bit of torture, helps the freedoms go away.
Freedoms go away.
In the most fascist ways."

[eyesroll]

16. So will the Vatican bar Catholic police officers/politicians who

support torture from taking communion?

Just asking.

[TankLV]

19. I guess if you apply the electrodes to just one testicle, it's OK now.

"A little torture" - sounds a lot like "a little bit pregnant".

TORTURE IS NEVER ACCEPTABLE. PERIOD.

Anyone who thinks otherwise is unfit to call themselves a member of the human race and are scum, and should be dealt with like the scum they are.

[KittyWampus]

20. Small Dose? Sounds Like They're Talking About A Laxative

torture doesn't work.. at least as far as accomplishing the stated goals of gathering information.