Torture and taboo: an essay comparing paradigms of organized cruelty
Keywords:
torture, semantic moves, organized state cruelty.Abstract
This essay addresses some common misunderstandings about torture also perpetuated in the ongoing debates concerning “rescue” or “necessity torture” and introduces, in a comparative perspective, the structural properties of the different historical and current paradigms of organized state cruelty. Regarding “modern torture” the essay deconstructs its exceptionalism which is based on claims of a specific relationship to law and the rescue motive. The comparative remarks are followed by a brief look at some practical legal problems arising from the concept of “rescue torture” and some strategic and semantic moves to camouflage or deny violations of the torture taboo.Downloads
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