The United Nations Convention Against Torture defines torture as "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 information, a confession, punishment for a crime he committed or is suspected of having committed, intimidation or coercion, or based on discrimination..." (United Nations 1984) Inflicting such extreme physical or mental pain, either through torture or other cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment, is an unconscionable violation of a person 's rights, as agreed to by the 157 nations (including the United States) that have ratified the UN Convention Against Torture, and as laid out by our very own 8th Amendment prohibiting cruel or unusual punishment. While there is debate over to what extent the Bill of Rights applies to non-US citizens, the fact that we included it in our list of inalienable rights guaranteed to citizens proves that it is something that we see as a universal …show more content…
The terrorist prisoner is inherently an unlawful actor, one that violates the conventions of war and targets civilians. In "The Truth About Torture," Krauthammer argues that in doing so, the terrorist prisoner has surrendered his rights through his own actions, and has opened himself up to justified use of torture (Krauthammer 2005). While such a prisoner is indeed entitled to far fewer rights than a standard POW, and has opened himself to more lawful forms of punishment, the use of such an extreme and inhumane tactic as torture goes beyond the bounds of acceptable treatment of a